Weaponizing History: The State-Driven Revisionism in Putin's Russia (faz.net)

• Government-imposed revisionism to replace objective historical scrutiny
• Criminalization of NGOs documenting Soviet crimes like Memorial
• Control over collective memory as a tool for political legitimacy

"Irina Shcherbakova of Memorial highlights how the Russian state is enforcing a singular, revised version of history. By criminalizing the memory of Soviet-era atrocities, the government seeks to eliminate critical thought and cement its authority. This total control over the past serves as a pillar for regime survival, effectively insulating the current leadership from historical accountability and stifling any remnants of democratic opposition through a mandated national mythology."