Kremlin falsifies history to instill anti-Western attitudes in Russians' minds - UK intelligence
The Russian leadership is increasingly using history as a weapon to reinforce anti-Western sentiment among Russians and intimidate Russia's western neighbors
This is reported by the UK Defense Ministry.
It is noted that Russia's State Archival Agency has published a collection of documents “On the historical unity of Russians and Ukrainians.” It opens with an article by Russian President Vladimir Putin on the topic, published in July 2021, and is immediately followed by his address on the situation in Ukraine, delivered on February 21, 2022, before the full-scale invasion.
The book presents 242 documents from the 11th to the 20th centuries that are used to justify the Kremlin's current policies and to support claims that foreign sabotage has turned Ukraine into an "anti-Russia." The documents are accompanied by explanatory comments by Putin.
In addition, last week, former Russian President Dmitry Medvedev wrote an article about the history of Russian-Polish relations. He accused Poland of pursuing an aggressive revisionist "Russophobic" policy, warning that it could lead to the destruction of Polish statehood, and threatening that Russia and Belarus would be able to provide an adequate military response if necessary.
“The weaponization of history by the Russian leadership is intensifying, aimed at inculcating anti-westernism in the minds of the Russian population and intimidating its immediate western neighbors,” the analysts note.
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