Russia’s State Archive Agency has published a new collection of historical documents titled “On the Historical Unity of Russians and Ukrainians” in an apparent effort to “justify the Kremlin’s current policy,” UK intelligence said in its daily report on 11 November.
The book opens with Russian President Vladimir Putin’s July 2021 essay on Russo-Ukrainian historical ties, followed immediately by the eve-of-invasion address Putin delivered in February 2022. It includes 242 documents ranging from the 11th to 20th centuries that Russia is using to support claims that foreign interference turned Ukraine against Russia.
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Putin provides interpretive commentary on the selectively curated documents to reinforce the Kremlin’s narrative. Last week, former Russian President Dmitry Medvedev also penned an article accusing Poland of “Russophobic” historical revisionism and aggression, threatening military retaliation from Russia and Belarus if needed.
According to British intelligence, the weaponization of history by Russia’s leadership is intensifying to instill anti-Western sentiments domestically and intimidate Russia’s western neighbors.
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