Memory Policy in the Context of the Formation of Russian Identity in New Regions of the Russian Federation

Authors

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.52575/2687-0967-2025-52-4-995-1006

Keywords:

politics of memory, identity, new subjects of the Russian Federation, LPR, DPR, Zaporozhye region, Kherson region

Abstract

The implementation of memory policy in the new constituent entities of the Russian Federation is a key tool for shaping and strengthening Russian identity. Taking into account the implementation of memory policy, the new regions can be considered as flagships for promoting Russian identity against the backdrop of European (and, in some cases, global) trends of Russophobia. This study focuses on the activities that shape and, in some cases, strengthen Russian identity, given that the overwhelming majority of residents of these regions, even before joining the Russian Federation on September 30, 2022, had a high level of personal ties with Russia. Despite numerous publications on this topic, systematic research on this issue is virtually nonexistent. The aim of this study is to analyze the dominant trends in the implementation of memory policy in the new regions of the Russian Federation, as well as to identify the main challenges and prospects for shaping Russian identity among the populations of the new constituent entities. The author examines the case of each new constituent entity, demonstrating that factors such as territorial proximity to Russia, length of stay outside of Ukraine, and the extent of military action in the region influence the implementation of memory policy. An important conclusion of the study was the discovery that regions sharing a common border with the Russian Federation are no different from it in terms of historical memory, which explains the ease with which the LPR and DPR can integrate into a single Russian historical and humanitarian space. The author concludes that it is necessary to implement a memory policy that ensures historical continuity.

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Author Biography

Yevgeny V. Ryabinin, A.I. Kuindzhi Mariupol State University

Candidate of Sciences in Politics, Associate Professor at the Department of History and Political Science, Mariupol, Russia
E-mail: ryabinin.yevgeny@gmail.com
ORCID: 0000-0002-3027-0680

References

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Published

2025-12-30

How to Cite

Ryabinin, Y. V. (2025). Memory Policy in the Context of the Formation of Russian Identity in New Regions of the Russian Federation. Via in Tempore. History and Political Science, 52(4), 995-1006. https://doi.org/10.52575/2687-0967-2025-52-4-995-1006

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Topical issues of political science