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The Conversation
The Conversation
Darius von Guttner Sporzynski, Historian, Australian Catholic University

Why does Putin insist Ukranians and Russians are ‘one people’? The answer spans centuries of colonisation and resistance

Russian president Vladimir Putin does not seem interested in peace: Sunday’s missile strike on Sumy, the worst civilian attack this year, proves he is determined to expand into Ukraine at any cost.

This is a war of ideas, narratives and myths – one that can be traced to the mid-1500s, when Ivan the Terrible, Grand Duke of Muscovy declared himself the first “tsar” of all Russia.

As part of his quest for power, Ivan the Terrible challenged King Sigismund I of Poland, who as Duke of Rus, ruled over territories that now comprise parts of modern-day Ukraine.

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