A Russian invasion in Ukraine: this prospect has fueled an international crisis for several weeks. The Kremlin has embarked on a political showdown, but also on a new information battle. And on this front, conspiracy has been part of Moscow’s strategy for a long time. Russian conspiracy is nationalistic, anti-Western, and nostalgic.
From Stalin to Putin, from the Romanov family to the Covid via the poisoning of the opponent Alexei Navalny, what is the genesis of this movement in Russia? What are its levers and objectives today? Maxime Audinet, doctor in political science and Slavic studies from the University of Paris Nanterre, researcher at IRSEM and author of the book Russia Today: an influential media at the service of the Russian state published by Ina, deciphers for Complorama the use of conspiracy by the media in the hands of the Kremlin.
This episode also returns to what caused the fall of the USSR, just 30 years ago: an aspiration of Russian power and in particular of Vladimir Putin, a former KGB officer, to restore Russia to its greatness, its past influence, even if that means rewriting history.
“Conspiracy in Russia” is the 20th episode of Complorama, with Rudy Reichstadt, director of Conspiracy Watch, and Tristan Mendès France, lecturer and member of the observatory of conspiracy, specialist in digital cultures. A podcast to be found on the franceinfo site, the Radio France application and several other platforms like Apple podcasts, Podcast Addict, Spotify, or Deezer.