For context: that's how the most popular Russian ethnonationalist media of the recent decades "Sputnik and Pogrom" pictured their dream - "Russia for Russians". Very decolonizing, indeed
Honestly, I am appalled to see what can pass for expertise in modern Western academia
NB: This is not only about Russia. That's about absolute contempt of too many Western intellectual circles towards the public imagination of non-Western countries, Russia included. This problem lies so deep that I am not sure whether it can be fixed or not
If you have just a bit of empathy towards the Russian ethnonationalists, the idea that they want to make their empire *smaller* would strike you as absolutely improbable. Even when they all agree that certain regions are a liability in each and every respect, the idea of ...
letting them go is seen as highly controversial. Partially because they fear it could cause a domino effect all around the country, inspiring others to do the same. Most would choose to ethnically cleanse these regions, just not to give up the territory. Because you never do this
Daily reminder that the mainstream Western academia systematically misrepresents Russian internal debates out of unreasonable contempt to everything that doesn't fit into their preconceptions. If you want a crash intro into the modern Russian nationalism:
Share this Scrolly Tale with your friends.
A Scrolly Tale is a new way to read Twitter threads with a more visually immersive experience.
Discover more beautiful Scrolly Tales like this.