2023/10/02 by Kseniya Oksamytna · 1 voice · 7 citations
Social Sciences · #European and Russian Geopolitical Military Strategies #International Relations and Foreign Policy #Soviet and Russian History
paper · pdf · doi:10.1080/13523260.2023.2259661
openalex publication_date 2023/10/02 · openalex created_date 2025/10/10 · openalex updated_date 2026/07/30
Few predicted the Russian full-scale invasion of Ukraine and especially its brutality.Similarly, Ukraine's capable and determined resistance came as a surprise to many.Ukraine, viewed through the Russian lenses, was erroneously characterized as "weak" and "fragmented."In turn, Russia was seen as a modern power seeking a "sphere of influence" through attraction and occasional meddling in neighbors' affairs.The Ukraine-Russia relations were misconstrued as "brotherly."I argue that Russia should be understood as a colonial power whose aggression aims to re-establish supremacy over the Ukrainian nation.This desire arose from Ukrainians' increased acceptance in Europe, which Russians perceived as a transgression of hierarchies.The brutality of the invasion was aggravated by the Russian forces' realization that Ukrainians not only rejected their "rescue mission" but did not need one in the first place.Misconceptions about the Russian invasion can be addressed through interdisciplinarity, engagement with postcolonial scholarship, and attention to facts.