The End of “Putin’s Empire?” Ontological Problems of Russian Imperialism in the Context of the War against Ukraine, 2022

Abstract

Vladimir Putin seeks to build a modern Russian empire on the post-Soviet space, as confirmed by the invasion of Ukraine. In the present article, the author shows why modern Russia represents a geopolitical project called “Putin’s Empire,” and what the ideological justifications for this empire are. The author also proposes to consider what is happening as a clash of different forms of imperial orders—neoliberal democracy and the concept of the “Russian world.” The author concludes that Russia, as an empire, is in a protracted political crisis, but this does not mean the empire will disintegrate.