The Memorial Background of a Fraternal War

Abstract

At the Victory Day celebration held on May 9^th, 2022, which was also broadcast by television, Vladimir Putin called the military operation going on in Ukraine at present a ‘patriotic war’ (oтечественная вoйнa). It might have been a ‘slip of the tongue’ made in the emotionally heightened state of the commemoration, but even so, he put the ‘special military operation’ into the great national narrative of Russia. The military operation launched for the purpose of empire building and punishing Ukraine wanting to be disconnected from dictatorial Russia has led to brutal devastation. The military assistance of NATO member countries as well as the keeping a distance of until then allied Caucasian and Central Asiatic countries make Putin’s victory increasingly doubtful. Not even the mendacious Russian war propaganda can cover reality.