Dominic Lieven, a historian of Russia, places the Russia-Ukraine war in the broader history of imperial collapse and nation-building. He examines Ukraine’s importance to Russian imperial power, the development of Ukrainian national identity and the tensions left by the Soviet Union’s dissolution. He also argues that Vladimir Putin’s invasion strengthened the Ukrainian identity he sought to deny. The lecture was delivered in Yerevan on July 8, 2026.
This lecture is part of the Monterey Summer Symposium 2026, held across Uzbekistan, Georgia and Armenia from June 18 to July 10, 2026.
