The concept of the ‘Russian World’ originated in the 1990s among members of the Moscow Methodological Circle, who had close ties to the Russian political elite. The authors of the modern concept are considered to be members of the Moscow Methodological Circle – a philosophical-methodological and intellectual-practical school of the Soviet methodologist and philosopher Georgy…
Category: Research Centre
From Rights to Traditions: The Declarative Nature of Human Rights in Russian State Policy
The most telling indication of the direction of both the decree and the policy of the Russian elite is that in Decree No. 809 of 9 November 2022 ‘On the Approval of the Fundamentals of State Policy for the Preservation and Strengthening of Traditional Russian Spiritual and Moral Values’, human rights are mentioned only once….
‘A Solid Lord for Solid Lords’: The Sacralisation of Aggressive War against Ukraine
The Decree of the President of the Russian Federation on the protection of traditional values emphasises the religious component as the basis of state ideology. This constitutes a fundamental contradiction with the constitutional principles of the Russian Federation. According to Article 14 of the Constitution of the Russian Federation, Russia is a secular state where…
Russian ‘Traditional Values’: When Imperial ‘Patriotism’ Is More Important Than Life
Ukraine is engulfed in the flames of war. And at this very moment, the Russian dictator signs Decree No. 809 on “Fundamentals of State Policy for Preserving and Strengthening Traditional Russian Spiritual and Moral Values”. This document is worth reading carefully. It reveals the essence of the regime better than any analytical text. According to…
Dmytro Yagunov: The Anatomy of the ‘Russian World’: When Illusion Becomes Vital
The most dangerous mistake is to believe that Russia’s aggression against Ukraine has a rational explanation. That it is solely a struggle for territory, resources or geopolitical influence, although, of course, all this is accompanied by territorial invasion of Ukraine, colonial advances in Africa and a constant military presence in Europe in the form of…
From Medieval Raid to State Terror: The Hrabivske Abductions and the Neo-Imperial Logic of Russia’s Carceral State
The tragic events that unfolded between December 18 and 20, 2025, in the border village of Hrabovske in the Sumy region represent not merely a local military incident but a profound symptom of civilisational rupture. The capture of over fifty civilian residents by Russian occupation forces and their forced deportation to the territory of the…
‘August’: When a Remake Becomes a Manifesto of Normalisation of Armed Aggression, Imperialism, and Genocide
The new Russian film “August” is not merely a failed remake of the classic “In August of ’44“. It is a carefully constructed propaganda product that demonstrates the evolution of Russian cultural mobilisation during the period of full-scale war against Ukraine. From Art to Militarism If the original 2001 film relied on psychological depth and…
Dmytro Yagunov, Rita Haverkamp: Human Trafficking and Satellite Crimes in Wartime Ukraine
More than 6.2 million refugees from Ukraine moved to Europe and other states after the Russian military aggression against Ukraine (the war) began in February 2022. Against this background, trafficking in human beings (THB) appears to be a (trans)national problem in Ukraine. In contrast to this assumption, formally declared statistics related to these crimes in…
Dmytro Yagunov: Naturalising Empire: The Birch Tree as Instrument of Colonisation in Russian Imperialist Politics
Ukrainians’ attitude towards birch trees – not as trees, but as imperial symbols – is vividly reflected in an old anecdote. A Ukrainian man is cutting down a birch tree near his house. When his neighbour asks him why, he replies with the classic line: ‘What if a Muscovite comes along, sees the birch tree…