Vladimir Putin’s Aspiration to Restore the Lost Russian Empire

Abstract

In this article, I argue that the Russian leader, Vladimir Putin, by his political actions in Eastern Europe, the Baltic States and Central Asian countries, and his current actions in Ukraine, strives to re-establish the nineteenth-century Russian Empire, ignoring the principle of international law that protects the sovereignty of each nation-state over its territory. In order to achieve his goals Putin uses ‘soft force’ and social fermentation in Russian-speaking ‘near abroad’ nation-states of the former Soviet Union. He also uses a policy of weakening the economy of the target countries and uses the Russian chauvinism and irredentism as the basis of his policy.

Bittersweet Versus Bitter or Sweet: The Psychological Implications of Restorative and Reflective Nostalgia (working paper).

“…2022 ). The clearest manifestation of this is the ongoing war carried out by Russia in Ukraine, whose purpose is to recreate the Russian empire reaching back to the nineteen century (Grigas, 2016;Shinar, 2017). In Eastern Europe, which underwent significant changes starting around 1989, many citizens feel considerable nostalgia for previous political systems.…”