Russian Narratives: Ukraine Is Part of Russia

A special miniseries from the podcast 4 Minutes reveals how the Russian Federation uses words as weapons. We focus on narratives – stories that reshape reality, divide society, and undermine trust in democratic institutions. Step by step, we explore how these narratives arise, why they work, and how to resist them. Each episode is about four minutes long and focuses on a specific story, claim, or method of manipulation. This series is for anyone seeking to understand not just propaganda, but how modern wars are fought – without bullets, using words. 

Transcript

We continue our special miniseries Russian Narratives, where we aim to understand how historical events, cultural references, and linguistic identities are misused for political purposes. Today, we focus on one of the foundational Russian narratives that underpinned the invasion of Ukraine and still forms a central pillar of Russian propaganda: Ukraine is part of Russia. This narrative relies on slogans like “one people, one language, one history” and aims to challenge the very existence of Ukraine as a sovereign state.

From the Russian perspective, Ukraine is presented not as an independent nation, but as a severed part of historical Rus’, later the Tsarist Empire, and eventually the Soviet Union. This viewpoint does not rest solely on historical sources, but rather on manipulative interpretations that ignore the linguistic, cultural, and political distinctiveness of Ukrainians. The Ukrainian language is belittled as a “rural dialect of Russian,” the history of Kyiv is appropriated as part of Russian identity, and Ukrainian independence is portrayed as a result of Western interference.

The Russian leadership repeatedly claims that there are no fundamental differences between Russia and Ukraine because, according to this ideology, both nations form part of the “Russian World.” This notion serves as the foundation for the concept of Russkiy Mir, an ideology that seeks to unite all “Russians” regardless of national borders and justifies interference in the affairs of neighboring states. Within this framework, Ukrainian identity is perceived as an illusion or the product of foreign propaganda.

This narrative came fully to light in 2014 with the annexation of Crimea, when the Russian government claimed it was reclaiming historically Russian land. The same justification was applied to supporting separatists in Donbas and ultimately to the 2022 invasion, which was presented as the liberation of “our brothers” from Western influence and “Nazism.” In this worldview, Ukraine is not regarded as a legitimate actor but rather as territory that Russia is entitled to manipulate according to its interests.

History in this narrative is reshaped and instrumentalized. Key events such as Kievan Rus’, the lives of Saints Cyril and Methodius, or the Cossack era are rewritten into the framework of a “shared Russian history.” Ukrainian heroes are erased or discredited, while Russian imperial rulers are portrayed as unifiers and protectors. Even significant events of the 20th century, including the famine known as the Holodomor, are either denied or downplayed in Russian accounts so as not to disturb the narrative of a unified past.

An integral part of this strategy includes systematic cultural and linguistic Russification of the territories under Russian control. Local education is restructured according to Russian curricula, Ukrainian symbols are banned, monuments are torn down and replaced with Russian ones. Public space is monitored by state structures to ensure the enforcement of the Russian version of history and identity. In this way, an alternative reality is constructed in which Ukraine as a distinct nation has never existed.

The aim of this narrative is not only to justify past actions but also to lay the groundwork for future expansion and long-term geopolitical ambitions. When Ukraine is portrayed as a non-existent or artificially created state, it becomes easier to defend its occupation, the Russification of its population, and the erasure of its cultural identity. This approach also allows Russian authorities to dismiss local resistance and frame it as the product of “Western propaganda.”

Russian talk of a “common people” often conceals an ambition to centralize power and reassert control over areas historically viewed by Moscow as part of its sphere of influence. This narrative is therefore not merely a historiographical interpretation but an active tool in an information war aimed at dismantling Ukrainian identity and undermining its legitimacy on the international stage.

Thank you for listening to another episode of the Russian Narratives miniseries. If you want to understand how these stories operate and spread, follow us on social media—TikTok, Instagram, Facebook, and X.

Our next episode drops Friday and will focus on another recurring theme in Russian propaganda: The West as aggressor and a morally corrupt world. We look forward to having you with us!