Frag Out! Magazine
Issue link: https://fragout.uberflip.com/i/1497523
hidden in the Russian identity, and in the foundation that remains at its base. Russia considers itself to be a nation-state that remains at the core of Eastern Europe, and that has a civilizational advantage over any other organism or structure within the region. „Small Nations" of eastern Europe, the Caucasus, or even Central Asia, may be safe and thrive, only by remaining in the Russian orbit. Summing it up, it is quite a classic imperial view of reality, where solely the empire may be a source of civilizational progression and guarantor of security in its peripheries. That Russian concept is based on the imperial identity of Russia - the historical heritage of the Romanov's state, and through that heritage, Russia connects itself to the Middle Ages. The Russian heritage views Russia as a state that remains key in Eastern Europe, placing it above all of its neighbors, especially the neighbors liquidated or destroyed by Rus, or the Moscow State. From that point of view, it is natural for the Russians to perceive Ukraine as a young branch derived from their state organism, missing its roots (that cannot exist), as only Russia is an inheritor of this continuous state heritage, from the 9th Century, until modern times. The history of the Ukrainian territory, and the history of the relationship between Rus', Poland, and Lithuania are perceived in a manner that remains entirely different by the Russians. From their point of view, we are dealing with a lost part of their territory. The territory occupied by evil forces, remaining under the bad influence of those forces, and then gradually reclaimed by the rightful owner - the only existing heir - the former Rus'. It is also natural for the Russians that Russia wants to cleanse the recaptured area from foreign influence and return it to its original state. What's perceived by the Ukrainians as an important part of their identity and historical heritage, the Russians view as a toxic influence introduced by foreign nations in their own territory, and in their own nation. Hence, it is easy to understand the Russians' emotional and aggressive reactions when Ukraine is trying to refer to the very same roots and state traditions, as Russia does. For Russians, Kyiv is a key location. Without it, the founding portion of the Russian identity loses one of its key pillars. Kyiv is one of the two centers around which Rus' was formed. Kyiv is also the city from where the first Moscow rulers came. Yuri Dolgorukiy, the founder of Moscow, has also been buried in Kyiv. The situation in which Moscow resigns from its pretenses to control Kyiv would result in a total remodeling of the Russian identity, based on new values, and www.fragoutmag.com