Russian history

Jared McBride Sheds Light on the Darker Parts of Ukraine's History

by James Thornton Harris

The issue of Ukrainian collaboration with Nazi genocide has been a propaganda point in the war with Russia. Historian Jared McBride talks about the complexities of ethnic violence and the complications of archival research in Russia and eastern Europe. 

A Trip Through the Mind of Vlad the Conqueror: A Satire Blending Imaginary Thoughts with Historical Facts

by Lawrence S. Wittner

"Today I am Vlad the Conqueror!  Look on my works, ye mighty, and despair!”

This is Putin's Last War, and He's Losing

by Timothy Snyder

Predictions that Russia's nuclear arsenal would be a bulwark against strong Ukrainian resistance or western support have shown that Putin wields these weapons like a bully to threaten, but can't win the war he started. 

From Trump to Putin: How People Came to Look to Timothy Snyder for Predictions

Although some had dismissed his warnings of an autocratic seizure of power as "doomerism," the events of January 6 and the Russian invasion have made the historian a widely-read public intellectual. 

Oscar Documentary Winner "Navalny" Part of Long Protest Tradition

by Lynne Hartnett

Without traditional or legal support for dissent and free speech, Russian activists have long turned to martydom as the way to dramatize injustice and criticize power. The recent Best Documentary winner is part of this tradition. 

Stephen Kotkin on How the Ukraine War Could End

The historian of Russia and the USSR argues that Putin's invasion will ultimately be seen as a disaster for Russia. Its unclear, however, if that view is sufficiently widespread in Russia to change Putin's strategic outlook or the regime. 

What's Hiding in Putin's Family History?

by Chris Monday

The details of Vladimir Putin's personal and family life are surprisingly (and by design) difficult to pin down. A historian suggests that his grandfather was more powerful, and more influential on the future Russian leader's fortunes, than Putin's common man mythology suggests. 

Revisiting Kropotkin 180 Years After His Birth

by Sam Ben-Meir

The rise of automation and the concurrent squeeze of workers in the name of profit offer an opportunity to revisit the ideas of Russian anarchist Pyotr Kropotkin as a forward-looking critique of power. 

My First Trip to Russia 30 Years Ago Is a Cautionary Tale Now

by Steven Knipp

The decades since the fall of Communism have borne out a Russian saying: "The horses of hope gallop. But the donkeys of experience go slowly.”

"Nutcracker" Rooted in Dark Parts of Russian History

The ballet's roots in the celebration of czarist absolutism and imperial expansion doesn't jibe with its modern status as an anodyne holiday classic. 

What Will Russia Look Like Without Putin?

by Joy Neumayer

A transformation of Russia after the end of Putin's leadership will require unwinding the countless institutions that have been molded and warped around his power for decades, so that another authoritarian can't step right in to use them. 

Putin's Nuclear Threats are Warping the West's Ukraine Strategy

by Anne Applebaum

Nuclear bluster is a purposeful strategy to leverage fear to make NATO nations less willing to defend Ukraine and other nations neighboring Russia. How can they have a better response? 

Putin, Contending Ukraine Doesn't Exist, Seeks its Destruction

by Olesya Khromeychuk

Unfortunately for the Russian leader, despite widespread global ignorance of the substance of Ukrainian nationhood, repeated attempts to destroy it testify to its reality. 

Russia's Memorial Forced to Downsize its Tribute to Stalinist Victims

“The point in returning the names is that we’re naming the victims,” said Yan Rachinsky, the chairman of Memorial’s board. “But the question inevitably arises: If there are victims of crime, then there are criminals, and there are reasons for the crime. These are no longer things that our authorities are ready to discuss.”

Honored by Nobel Peace Prize, Memorial Preserves Knowledge of Soviet Atrocities and Warns of Present Imperialism

The Nobel committee gave an implicit rebuke to Russian President Vladimir Putin in honoring the organization, which was shut down as a "terrorist" group last year, forcing some leaders into exile. 

Sergey Radchenko on Putin's Mobilization Speech

Putin's cautious declaration of a partial mobilization reflects his increasingly desperate military situation and the growing unpopularity of the Ukraine war in Russia. 

Russians' Disapproval of Gorbachev Shouldn't Dominate How He is Remembered

by Walter G. Moss

The combination of post-Soviet hardship, resurgent nationalism, and the destructiveness of the Ukraine war have led many Americans to embrace Russians' dim view of Mikhail Gorbachev. A historian of Russia says the leader had his faults, but his furtherance of humane values has been underrated. 

The Contradictory Legacy of Gorbachev and "Revolution From Above"

by Ronald Suny

"A great emancipator, Gorbachev left a mixed legacy. He expanded freedom for millions but at the same time unleashed roiling waves of nationalism and left the upturned soil for renewed authoritarianism."

Gorbachev Never Understood What He Set in Motion

by Anne Applebaum

Sometimes seen as a visionary reformer, Gorbachev may have started the USSR's economic death spiral by restricting the sale of vodka to increase worker productivity. 

Gorbachev's Greatness Was in His Failure

by Tom Nichols

Gorbachev's personal decency made him the wrong man for his chosen task of saving Soviet Communism from collapse; today his reputation is far higher in the west than in the former USSR.