Description: Oleksa Drachewych explores how Russia's use of WWII memory fuels its war against Ukraine. She traces parallels in rhetoric, war crimes, and ideology, linking Soviet history to present violence through propaganda, policy, and historical reinterpretation.
Brief description:
Dr. Oleksa Drachewych is an Assistant Professor of History at Western University, and a Lecturer in the Department of History at King's University College, both in London, Ontario, Canada. He specializes in the histories of the Soviet Union, modern European international relations, and international communism. Drachewych is the author of The Communist International, Anti-Imperialism and Racial Equality in British Dominions (Routledge 2018) and co-editor of Left Transnationalism: The Communist International and the National, Colonial, and Racial Questions (McGill-Queen's University Press 2020).
Review Quotes: For anyone wondering why Russian propaganda calls the Ukrainian government 'Nazi', or where the shocking disregard by Russian commanders for the lives of civilians and even their own soldiers comes from, Oleksa Drachewych's book provides exhaustive answers. The Russian government attempts to convince its own people--and the world--that it is refighting World War II, albeit in the name of Russian Orthodoxy rather than world Communism. An excellent antidote to propaganda, both old and new.--Serhii Plokhy, Professor of Ukrainian History, Harvard University, Cambridge, MA