Presented By: Center for Russian, East European, and Eurasian Studies
CREES Lecture. War and Punishment: Putin, Zelensky and the Path to Russia's Invasion of Ukraine
Mikhail Zygar, author, political journalist, historian, university lecturer, and founding editor-in-chief of "Dozhd", Russia's only independent TV news channel
In this talk, Mikhail Zygar will describe how Vladimir Putin is obsessed with history. And how he is trying to control the telling of history in Russia. Starting last fall, all high school students in Russia are required to study history using a textbook written by Putin’s former minister of culture (and his ghostwriter), Vladimir Medinsky. This propaganda is reminiscent of the textbook described in Orwell’s "1984."
Meanwhile, Zygar published a book titled "War and Punishment" (2023) about an alternative, anti-imperialist Russian historical narrative. Unlike Putin’s textbook, Zygar’s book has no chance to be published in Russia. And it is no wonder why. Zygar debunks all the myths Putin’s history textbook promotes, and all the myths Putin uses to justify the war in Ukraine.
Mikhail Zygar is a Russian-born author, political journalist, and historian. Currently, he is the inaugural Press Freedom Fellow at the Craig Newmark Graduate School of Journalism at the City University of New York (CUNY) and Visiting Lecturer at the Princeton School of Public and International Affairs.
He was the founding editor-in-chief (2010-2015) of "Dozhd," Russia's only independent TV news channel. He currently writes as a columnist for "Der Spiegel" and "The New York Times," and he hosts a series of interviews on YouTube (@zygaro) titled “Empire Must Die” with guests he regards as “humanity’s brightest minds.”
Zygar has authored investigative studies such as "All the Kremlin’s Men: Inside the Court of Vladimir Putin" (2016), "The Empire Must Die: Russia’s Revolutionary Collapse, 1900-1917" (2017), and "War and Punishment: The Story of Russian Oppression and Ukrainian Resistance" (2023).
In 2022, Zygar authored a petition against Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, signed by prominent Russian intellectuals. In March of that year, he organized the only interview of President Zelenskyy for independent Russian media.
If there is anything we can do to make this event accessible to you, please contact us at crees@umich.edu. Please be aware that advance notice is necessary as some accommodations may require more time for the university to arrange.
Meanwhile, Zygar published a book titled "War and Punishment" (2023) about an alternative, anti-imperialist Russian historical narrative. Unlike Putin’s textbook, Zygar’s book has no chance to be published in Russia. And it is no wonder why. Zygar debunks all the myths Putin’s history textbook promotes, and all the myths Putin uses to justify the war in Ukraine.
Mikhail Zygar is a Russian-born author, political journalist, and historian. Currently, he is the inaugural Press Freedom Fellow at the Craig Newmark Graduate School of Journalism at the City University of New York (CUNY) and Visiting Lecturer at the Princeton School of Public and International Affairs.
He was the founding editor-in-chief (2010-2015) of "Dozhd," Russia's only independent TV news channel. He currently writes as a columnist for "Der Spiegel" and "The New York Times," and he hosts a series of interviews on YouTube (@zygaro) titled “Empire Must Die” with guests he regards as “humanity’s brightest minds.”
Zygar has authored investigative studies such as "All the Kremlin’s Men: Inside the Court of Vladimir Putin" (2016), "The Empire Must Die: Russia’s Revolutionary Collapse, 1900-1917" (2017), and "War and Punishment: The Story of Russian Oppression and Ukrainian Resistance" (2023).
In 2022, Zygar authored a petition against Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, signed by prominent Russian intellectuals. In March of that year, he organized the only interview of President Zelenskyy for independent Russian media.
If there is anything we can do to make this event accessible to you, please contact us at crees@umich.edu. Please be aware that advance notice is necessary as some accommodations may require more time for the university to arrange.
Explore Similar Events
-
Loading Similar Events...
