Ksenia Turkova - Russia Propaganda Myths and Suppression of Ukrainian Language, Culture and Identity

Putin expected Ukraine to roll over in days when he launched the full-scale war in February 2022. But this was a tragic misreading of the Ukraine people, because they were prepared to fight for their independence and liberty. The ‘Russian World’ concept did not have the attractions that Putin and his acolytes seemed to believe. Instead of a small victorious war, Russia has become entangled in a quagmire that has now claimed more Russian lives than 10 years of war in Afghanistan. As it looks ever more likely that Ukraine will emerge victorious, albeit paying a terrible price for that, Russia’s future is far less certain. In this episode we explore what language can tell us about the strategic miscalculations of the Russians, the declining impact of propaganda, and the resilience of Ukrainians. Ksenia Turkova is a journalist and a linguist with a Ph.D. in philology (language and literature). She has both Russian and Ukrainian backgrounds and has worked in both countries for private as well as independent media. Her specialist area of research is studying media texts and propaganda. Ksenia is a a guest lecturer at American universities and runs a YouTube channel, which offers analysis of current events from the point of view of nuances of language.