A-Infos (en) France, Monde Libertaire - History Pages No. 120: Russia/Ukraine (ca, de, fr, it, pt, tr)[machine translation]

The war in Ukraine and the current situation in Russia are receiving 
considerable attention, and several books offer an overview. Marlène 
Laruelle presents a broad panorama of the evolution of the political 
situation in Russia over the last thirty years. While the country is 
marked by Vladimir Putin's absolute power, the author seeks to reveal 
the ideological underpinnings of his regime. She also demonstrates that 
it relies on producers of ideology. This appears to be a hodgepodge of 
remnants of Soviet grandeur and the Orthodox Church, of grand Russianism 
and Eurasian nationalism. Power rests on the Silovskies (the successors 
to the KGB) and on technocrats entirely devoted to the power-hungry 
regime, but with little interest in ideology. Recently, new elements 
have emerged, described as Generation Z (which symbolizes the war in 
Ukraine), with a heightened sense of patriotism. The regime manipulates 
and utilizes these various supporters according to its needs at any 
given moment, sometimes employing anti-Western sentiment, sometimes 
appealing to religion and Tsarism, and sometimes extolling Stalinist 
patriotism and the grandeur of the secret services. All these elements 
seek only one thing: to instill in the regime a sense of grandeur and, 
above all, a cult of imperial power, as evidenced by the violence of the 
aggression against Ukraine.

Indeed, the invasion of Ukraine has, if further proof were needed, 
demonstrated the imperial ambitions within the Kremlin. Journalist Elsa 
Vidal, an expert on the Russian situation, suggests that there may still 
be some reasons not to completely despair. While the regime, with a 
flurry of official pronouncements, claims that the Russian population 
supports the war, the reality appears more complex. Much like in the 
waning days of the Soviet Union in the early 1980s, Russians prefer to 
give their approval in principle so that the authorities will "leave 
them alone," which is often the case in large cities. She highlights the 
various forms of resistance, most often invisible to the media. However, 
she also shows that in the peripheries, the authorities seek to 
disseminate their propaganda on a massive scale, and that the persuasive 
methods used allow for the support of a segment of the population. She 
also emphasizes that we shouldn't be under any illusions; the peace 
movement remains a minority force in Russia.

Francine-Dominique Liechtenham's impressive work underscores the 
influence of the Russian Army. This is a constant throughout the 
country's history. The Russian army has always supported the 
expansionist ambitions of those in power, whether imperial, communist, 
or Putin-led. The second constant is that this army has no regard for 
"human resources"; soldiers are considered cannon fodder, and it has 
always sought to annihilate the adversary, most often without success. 
The third constant of this military-industrial complex, besides 
appropriating the country's wealth for its own profit, is to acquire and 
develop new technologies while maintaining the principle of maximizing 
the use of recruits. It is this dual strategy that Ukrainians are 
currently experiencing: on the one hand, a front line where soldiers are 
sent to the slaughter, and on the other hand, highly sophisticated 
weaponry capable of destroying the enemy's rear.

Indeed, on the other side of the border, accounts of the Russian 
behemoth and the devastation of war abound, as demonstrated by the two 
books on Ukraine.

The risks of war and Russia's imperialist ambitions are beginning to 
manifest themselves in other territories. Recently, a group has emerged 
announcing the creation of a "People's Republic of Narva," a city in 
Estonia with a large Russian-speaking minority. Similarly, Russian 
ambitions are asserting themselves in Lithuania and Latvia.

The author revisits this issue, along with several others, illustrating 
the slow annexation of the Baltic states by the USSR in 1939 and then 
again in 1945, which was accompanied by the repression of all forms of 
opposition in these three countries for several decades. The 
independence movements, combined with the collapse of the USSR, fostered 
the resurgence of three republics that, despite their membership in NATO 
and the European Union, remain under threat of irredentist claims from 
Russia. The book analyzes this situation primarily from a geopolitical 
perspective, but it also sheds light on Russia's imperial ambitions and, 
above all, the strategies implemented by these countries to avoid being 
absorbed by their neighbor, with whom they share a common border. Russia 
is attempting to exploit their numerical weakness by seeking to 
destabilize them through maneuvers involving the manipulation of 
information and social media.

The works of Serhiy Jan and Tetyana Ogarka and Volodymyr Yermolenko 
recount the war from the perspective of civilians and victims.

Life on the Edge brings together testimonies from residents of Ukrainian 
regions directly threatened by the Russian invasion. The authors 
describe ordinary people, the evolution of their perception of daily 
life, and also offer a reflection on the notion of survival in these 
devastated areas. They also reveal Russia's war aims: to destroy all 
forms of intellectual, cultural, and social life. They also place their 
analysis within a broader historical context, emphasizing that this 
scorched-earth policy of massive and almost systematic destruction of 
all forms of life echoes the strategies used by the Soviets and Nazis in 
other periods of history.

The Kharkiv stories explore the situation of a city just a few 
kilometers from the front line. The city has been partially destroyed 
since the Russian invasion, but part of the population continues to live 
there. Jadan illustrates his narrative with numerous drawings that 
convey the anticipation of what will happen next, the fear of bombings; 
like a diary, they are snapshots of a city at war that continues to live 
despite the omnipresence of death and the sounds of fighting. He also 
explores the solidarity and sense of brotherhood that bind the 
inhabitants through short, often impactful texts.

What Do Russians Think?
Elsa Vidal
Gallimard 2026 156 pp. EUR18.50

The Political Ideas of Putin's Russia
Marlène Laruelle
PUF 2026 356 pp. EUR25

The Russian Army
Francine-Dominique Liechtenham
Perrin 2026 528 pp. EUR24.90

Life on the Edge
Tetyana Ogarka and Volodymyr Yermolenko
Gallimard 2026 292 pp. EUR22

No One Will Ask for Anything
Serhiy Jadan
Noir sur Blanc 2026 128 pp. EUR19

Céline Bayou
The Baltic States Facing the Russian Threat
Tallandier 2026 336 pp. EUR19.90

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