Putin’s Memory War. Russia’s Battles over the History of World War II

Lecture

In the past decade, memory politics has become greatly contested. Russia under Putin launched a major propaganda offensive ahead of the 75th anniversary of victory in World War II (8 May in the rest of the world, 9 May in Russia), aiming to fight the “falsifications” of war history by the West, and to deny the crimes of Stalinism during the War. This presentation explored the implications of this memory war on Russia’s relations with Europe, and its role in legitimizing the ruling regime.

 

Sergei Medvedev is Professor at the Higher School of Economics, Moscow. In December 2020 he is a Visiting Fellow of IWM’s Eurasia in Global Dialogue.

Comment by
Timothy Snyder (IWM Permanent Fellow; Richard C. Levin Professor of History, Yale University)

Moderation:
Clemena Antonova (Research Director, Eurasia in Global Dialogue)