Putin: Redrawing borders, rewriting history
News of the invasion of Ukraine floods the airwaves – we look at media narratives, historical myths and Putin’s push to redraw borders and rewrite history.
As news of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine floods the airwaves, and with the prospect of a wider conflict brewing in Eastern Europe between Russia and the NATO alliance, we are dispensing with our usual format.
On our radar:
Richard Gizbert starts with a roundup of the global narratives competing for air time in the days running up to the Russian invasion, including Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy’s media moment. Producer Johanna Hoes then takes us through Russia’s side of the story, highlighting some examples of misinformation coming out of Moscow.
Russia: National myths and rewriting history
The conflict currently playing out in Ukraine involves former Cold War adversaries and competing versions of history. This week, before invading Ukraine, the Russian president questioned the very idea of the country’s statehood. The Listening Post’s Tariq Nafi reports from Moscow on a new historical discourse that emphasises Russia’s history as a great power and mythologises the country’s past.
Contributors:
Nikita Petrov – Historian & member, Memorial
Yevgenia Albats – Journalist & editor-in-chief, The New Times
Mikhail Myagkov – Scientific director, the Russian Military-Historical Society
India: The emboldening of anti-Muslim messaging
One political leader who may be grateful that the eyes of the news world are trained on Ukraine would be India’s Narendra Modi. With elections either under way or looming in some key states, Modi’s Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) keeps playing its Hindu nationalist, anti-Muslim card.
Contributors:
Rana Ayyub – Global opinions columnist, The Washington Post & author, Gujarat Files: Anatomy of a Cover Up
Supriya Sharma – Executive editor, Scroll.in
Aakar Patel – Author, Price of the Modi Years
Fatima Khan – Reporter, The Quint