Why Russia Attacked: The History of Aggression

This article explores the instrumental role of history in apologetics for the war against Ukraine within Russian political discourse. Based on the analysis of Putin’s rhetoric, I show how, within the official version of Russian patriotism, history acts as the main linking tool between citizens and the Motherland. In this context, being a patriot means preserving and multiplying the grandeur of Russian national history. Rather than being a record of political actions, history acts as their goal. The presumed historical significance of the war made it a patriotic and hence legitimate course of action.