Ksenia Turkova - Russia Propaganda Myths and Suppression of Ukrainian Language, Culture and Identity

<p>Putin expected Ukraine to roll over in days when he launched the

full-scale war in February 2022. But this was a tragic misreading of the

Ukraine people, because they were prepared to fight for their

independence and liberty. The ‘Russian World’ concept did not have the

attractions that Putin and his acolytes seemed to believe. Instead of a

small victorious war, Russia has become entangled in a quagmire that has

now claimed more Russian lives than 10 years of war in Afghanistan. As

it looks ever more likely that Ukraine will emerge victorious, albeit

paying a terrible price for that, Russia’s future is far less certain.

In this episode we explore what language can tell us about the strategic

miscalculations of the Russians, the declining impact of propaganda,

and the resilience of Ukrainians.

Ksenia Turkova is a journalist and a linguist with a Ph.D. in philology

(language and literature). She has both Russian and Ukrainian

backgrounds and has worked in both countries for private as well as

independent media. Her specialist area of research is studying media

texts and propaganda. Ksenia is a a guest lecturer at American

universities and runs a YouTube channel, which offers analysis of

current events from the point of view of nuances of language.</p>