Russia's Full-Scale Invasion of Ukraine as an Ethnic Conflict

How can we understand Russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine? Which of our pre-existing classifications of war best encapsulates the motives for armed intervention? In this presentation, Dr. Richard Arnold argues that the invasion should be seen as an ethnic war, but one in which Ukrainians are fighting for ethnicity whereas the Russians are fighting about ethnicity. One of the most prominent symbols of the shared history between the two countries is the Cossack legacy and the ideas are evaluated against event analysis of developments in each country, focus groups conducted with Ukrainian refugees in Poland, and salience graphs of the Cossack image in the Russian and Ukrainian presses.

Event Venue & Nearby Stays

Room 208N, North House, Munk School of Global Affairs and Public Policy, 1 Devonshire Place, Toronto, Canada