Putting the Empire Back into IR: Recognising Empire in Russian Aims and Actions in the Russo-Ukrainian War

In many prominent analyses of the causes and events of the Russo-Ukrainian War, some scholars of the realist school seem to have a problem with acknowledging Russia’s imperialist aims in Ukraine, even outright dismissing it as a factor. Instead, they focus on emphasising Russia’s alleged security concerns and proclaiming the West’s partial or whole blame for Russian aggression against Ukraine. These positions are further affirmed by members on the far-right or left, and even U.S. President Donald Trump has parroted such claims. Yet, as Russia’s full-scale invasion against Ukraine continues into its fifth year, Russia is utilising a variety of tactics shared by other historical empires. In this short piece, some of those parallels are detailed, while highlighting how the need to detail and analyse Russia’s imperialist actions and aims in Ukraine is necessary for a proper understanding of what the war is actually about. Furthermore, by adding empire back into such analyses, it forces realist scholars to recognise the role empire has played in the theories they often use.