What are the connections between propaganda about the Russian Empire and the invasion of Ukraine?

Mikhail Zygar, a renowned Russian dissident journalist, is the founding editor-in-chief of Russian news TV channel Dozhd, who was forced to close his company and flee the country after condemning the invasion. On July 18 he comes to Intelligence Squared to share his insights into the power struggles and myths that shape Russo-Ukrainian relations today. Drawing on his new book War and Punishment: Putin, Zelensky, and the Path to Russia’s Invasion of Ukraine, Zygar will explore how pervasive historical myths about Ukraine led Russian President Putin to underestimate the growing influence of Volodymyr Zelensky, the television comic who ultimately became Ukraine’s president. He will also delve into historical events, such as a German monk’s fear of the Ottoman Empire, that gave rise to the fabricated concept of a united ‘Russian world’.

Join us for a conversation that will explore the heart of Russo-Ukrainian relations and the myths that perpetuate conflict.