Thanatolatry as a signifier of totalitarian ideology (on the example of russia)

Abstract

The full-scale invasion of Ukraine by the russian federation has led to the actualisation of the discourse of cultural confrontation. The rule of vladimir putin has not only led to the establishment of a totalitarian regime in russia, but also led to the formation of the cult of death. The cult of death (thanatolatry) should be understood as the emergence of social and cultural practices that are directly related to death. The main idea is to recreate the USSR by creating a necrophiliac ideology. In which the life of any citizen is levelled and deformed. A decent life is replaced by a glorious death, with arms in hand, in a foreign country. Through propaganda, russian ideology promotes the idea of death as the main virtue of a citizen. The process of such ideological processing begins in childhood and is supported by various state organisations throughout a person’s life, with the activities of the Wagner PMC and the immortal regiment Association being particularly prominent. Understanding this phenomenon will help Ukrainian authorities and society to better respond to the challenges posed by russia’s policy of genocide of the Ukrainian nation.