Pan-Slavic ideas in modern russian political imagination and the war against Ukraine

Abstract

The Purpose of the Research. Whether the Russian war against Ukraine has been ideologically motivated constitutes a part of a broader discussion of a revanchist turn in Russia’s foreign policy. The period since the dissolution of the Soviet Union witnessed a quest for a new state ideology and the emergence of various forms of modern Russian nationalism. In this context, the Pan-Slavic ideas that spread in academic, quasi-academic, and political spheres in the decades preceding the full-scale invasion deserve particular attention. The Methodology of Research. Critical discourse analysis of speeches, official statements, and media publications was used to detect embedded messages and compare them to sentiments typical of Pan-Slavic doctrine. The Research Novelty. Such an approach allowed to identify particular elements in the Russian official discourse and propaganda dating back to the late imperial times and explain the role of such elements in the ideological justification of the war against Ukraine. Conclusions. The ideas and symbols influencing how the Russian leadership presents themselves on the global stage often draw from characteristics commonly associated with Pan-Slavism. One of the outcomes has been framing the Russia-Ukraine conflict as a battle of civilizations to prevent Ukraine’s westernization and position it as “anti-Russia”. The Russian nationalism emphasizes the unity and strength of the Russian nation, viewing Ukraine as an integral part of a broader Russian identity. This approach has been fueled by a sense of historical injustice and a desire to regain what is recepted as lost influence and territories in Eastern Europe and the former Soviet Union. Top officials, including Vladimir Putin himself, have consistently employed the isolationist, quasi-Orthodox, and messianic language. As circumstances evolve, they adjust their rhetoric pragmatically, but Pan-Slavic concepts serve as one of the foundations for the growing appeal of civilizational discourse.