The Russian–Ukrainian War in Donbas: Historical Memory as an Instrument of Information Warfare

Abstract

This chapter reviews how historical memory and historical policy are used as tools in the information war in the Donbas conflict. Historical memory is regarded as part of a complex set of collective representations and oral traditions, which form a national identity. Within the hybrid aggression on the territory of Ukraine, the use of narratives provides the background that enables the continuation of the conflict. While Ukraine is re-establishing a Ukraine-centric (nation-centric) policy, the leaders of the so-called “Donetsk People’s Republic” (“DPR”) and “Luhansk People’s Republic” (“LPR”) are trying to use historical memory and dominant narratives found among the population in Donbas to form a new identity. Therefore, the authors analyse what methods are being used by the Russian aggressors and what consequences are possible in the case of the formation of a new identity in Donbas. Methods of information propaganda, such as creating new holidays, new heroes and new approaches to schooling, are considered in detail. Furthermore, attempts to use the events and heroes of the Second World War are similarly analysed, while tangible narratives, such as Soviet symbols and “The Great Patriotic War”, are also considered. Lastly, the development of a new Ukrainian historical policy in response to the historical propaganda challenges of the de-communization law, renaming cities and streets and deconstructing monuments, are evidence of the implementation of a nation-centric paradigm of historical discourse within Ukrainian society. As such, it is believed that the Ukrainian nation-centric paradigm of historical discourse will contribute to the process of nation-building and the strengthening of state institutions and society.