russian colonialism 101: the 'colonizer' test for every russian.

There's one surest way to provoke inner colonist to come out in almost every russian, no matter how anti-Putin they claim to be: ask them if their granddads 'liberated' something in World War II.

you won't hear:

• how russians conspired with the Nazis to divide Europe;

• how they slaughtered and deported millions in the ethnic cleansing of lands that Nazis handed over to them;

• how, while retreating, they blew up entire neighborhoods together with residents, like Khreschatyk in Kyiv;

• how russians detonated a dam in my Zaporizhzhia, killing tens of thousands in the following flood - with little justification;

• how while retreating, they mass slaughtered tens of thousands of political prisoners, so nobody finds out about russian crimes;

• how russians hid behind Ukrainian and Belarusian backs, pushing Nazis back;

• how they committed endless war crimes without ever facing the consequences;

• how they replaced one mass-murdering occupation with another: killing, looting, raping civilians;

• how russians branded as 'traitors' millions of colonized people who lived under Nazi occupation and used it as justification for further ethnic cleansing, slavery, and persecution for years to come.

you will hear, though:

• how russians liberated Europe from the Nazis and how everyone should be grateful forever.

learn more about the long fascist history of russian colonialism here. for more on why russians are in such deep denial about russian colonialism educate yourself about the 'imperial innocence' syndrome, the term coined by brilliant @BotakozKassymb1 and @EricaMarat

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Thanks to Armed Forces of Ukraine. Ukrainian illustrator Mari Kinovych. Follow her work on Insta: @marikinoo

here is what's in store for you this week:

• russia keeps claiming it brought 'modernity' to former colonies. in fact, that was nothing but a system of economic exploitation to make Moscow wealthy;

• russia didn't have colonies in Africa not because it didn't try. It is because it was kicked out by Western colonialism;

• why 'Asharshylyk' needs to become synonymous with russian colonial genocides;

• and several powerful personal stories about how russian colonialism deformed and shaped our indigenous identities.