Contested Memory and Legacy in International Relations: The case of Kievan Rus’ in defining Russo-Ukrainian Relations, 1989-2025

PHUNGSHOK KHONGREIWO

doi:10.36948/ijfmr.2025.v07i06.65017

Contested Memory and Legacy in International Relations: The case of Kievan Rus’ in defining Russo-Ukrainian Relations, 1989-2025

Author(s)	Mr. PHUNGSHOK KHONGREIWO
Country	India
Abstract	The Russia–Ukraine conflict is often explained through immediate geopolitical factors such as NATO expansion, security dilemmas, and power politics. While these explanations are significant, they do not fully account for the depth, persistence, and emotional intensity of the conflict. This article argues that the contemporary crisis between Russia and Ukraine must also be understood through the lens of memory politics, particularly the contested interpretation of the civilisational legacy of Kievan Rus. Drawing on theories of collective memory and securitisation, the study examines how historical narratives have been transformed from academic debates into instruments of political mobilisation and national security discourse between 1989 and 2025. The article analyses how Russia and Ukraine have constructed competing national memories around Kievan Rus to legitimise divergent identity projects and geopolitical orientations. While Russia invokes Kievan Rus to advance a narrative of historical unity among Russians, Ukrainians, and Belarusians, Ukraine interprets the same legacy as evidence of a distinct and autonomous historical trajectory. These conflicting interpretations have contributed to what may be described as a “war of memories,” in which history is weaponised through state discourse, legislation, education, and symbolic politics. By engaging with historiographical debates on Kievan inheritance and examining the securitisation of memory in both states, the article demonstrates that unresolved historical legacies play an active role in shaping contemporary conflict dynamics. It argues that the transformation of memory into an existential security issue has intensified mistrust, narrowed the space for compromise, and reinforced antagonistic identities. The study concludes that without addressing the underlying politics of memory and the securitisation of historical narratives, diplomatic and military solutions alone are unlikely to produce durable peace between Russia and Ukraine.
Keywords	Kievan Rus, Memory Politics, Collective Memory, Securitisation of Memory, Russo–Ukrainian Relations, War of Memories, Post-Soviet Space, Kievan Inheritance. Nation-Building, Security Discourse, Legacy in Modern Politics, Ukraine–Russia Conflict (1989–2025), Identity and Foreign Policy
Published In	Volume 7, Issue 6, November-December 2025
Published On	2025-12-28
DOI	https://doi.org/10.36948/ijfmr.2025.v07i06.65017

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Contested Memory and Legacy in International Relations: The case of Kievan Rus’ in defining Russo-Ukrainian Relations, 1989-2025

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