Language Issues as a Pretext for Military Intervention: War in Ukraine & Balkan Connection (4/20/23)

Please join the Ukrainian Studies Program at the Harriman Institute for a talk by Robert Greenberg, University of Auckland. Moderated by Yuri Shevchuk.

This presentation explores the cultural and linguistic ramifications of the ongoing war in Ukraine arguing that the Russian invasion has accelerated processes of Ukrainianization especially among the country’s Russian speakers. These processes have arisen in direct defiance of Vladimir Putin’s declared aims of liberating and protecting Ukraine’s Russian speaking population. Like Slobodan Milošević in the Yugoslav conflicts of the 1990s, Putin has used historical grievances and language issues to justify his country's attacks on Ukrainian cities, towns and villages. As will be demonstrated in this talk, the Balkan conflicts of the 1990s serve as precedents that help us understand Putin's mindset and aims in Ukraine. Ironically, the early signs are that the aim to suppress Ukrainian language and identity are failing in a scenario similar to that in the former Yugoslavia.

Видео Language Issues as a Pretext for Military Intervention: War in Ukraine & Balkan Connection (4/20/23) канала The Harriman Institute at Columbia University