Mariia Kravchenko- Revolutions in Ukraine and the Struggle with Russia Empire over Historical Memory

Russia’s invasion of Ukraine is not just about territory and resources, though they play a part. It’s also a struggle to control historical memory. Russia seeks to simplify history writing, teaching, and mythology down to a few selective narratives that support its current political structure and imperial revanchism. Ukrainian history is complex, messy and offers an alternative take on Russian and Soviet mythology and undermines its propaganda. Ukraine’s struggle is one for identify, culture, language and even survival, but its also a struggle to retain the right to question and reshape historical narratives and tell alternative stories that don’t fit neatly into an imperial Russian worldview. Mariia Kravchenko is Program Coordinator for the Fulbright Program in Ukraine and a former Junior Researcher at the World History Institute, NANU. Established in 1946, the Fulbright Program is the oldest and most prestigious international program for the exchange of scholars and students funded by the United States government. Today it supports academic exchanges with 155 countries of the world.