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Russia’s Horrible Sense of History — How Russians Wrongly Use “Novorossiya” to Justify the War
Putin’s revisionist history concerning Ukraine and its “non-existence” is crucial to legitimizing Russia’s war. In particular, Putin uses Catherine the Great’s establishment of “Novorossiya” in the 18th century, as empress of Russia, to mobilize the Russian people, who want to restore greatness to Russia.
Some of us might also question Ukraine’s complete claims to sovereignty. Some might argue that the borders are arbitrary. And, indeed, they seem to be. But the problem is much larger than arbitrary borders.
The problem is that Russia views Ukraine as a lost integral part of a lost empire.
Let me explain.
The turning point in Russian nationalism was the 2014 Ukraine war. Scholars attribute the success of this primarily to nationalism more broadly rather than to the influence of the Orthodox Church on nationalism.
In particular, the concept of “Novorossiya” and the restoration of Catherine the Great’s empire along with it, is particularly useful in mobilizing support for Putin’s regime.
So, how does the concept of Novorossiya mobilize Russian support for the war? Well, there are three important ways it does so.
