Decolonizing Russia: Ending imperial logic, not creating chaos

Decolonization is often imagined as collapse, chaos, or the breakup of states. But according to University of Warsaw professor Iwona Kaliszewska, the concept applied to Russia means something very different: dismantling imperial thinking that has shaped the country for centuries.

In an interview for Eastern Express, Kaliszewska argues that Russia’s approach to its ethnically-diverse autonomous republics—and its war in Ukraine—reflects a persistent colonial logic.

“From the Caucasus to Siberia, Moscow has treated regions as resources to be extracted and populations to be controlled,” she explains. “Ukraine is not an anomaly; it’s part of the same pattern.”

The idea of decolonization, she says, is not about fragmentation but about ending a system that perpetuates domination. “Ignoring this reality won’t bring democracy. It only preserves the structures that made the war possible.”

Why does this terrify Moscow? Because challenging imperial logic means questioning the foundations of Russian statehood and identity. For the Kremlin, narratives of unity and greatness are central to legitimacy. Any discourse that frames Russia as a colonial power threatens that myth—and by extension, the political order.

Western policymakers often focus on military defeat or regime change as pathways to peace. But Kaliszewska warns that without addressing the colonial mindset, neither will deliver lasting stability. “Decolonization is about rethinking relationships between center and periphery, recognizing autonomy, and dismantling hierarchies,” she says.

As the war in Ukraine grinds on, the debate over Russia’s future is intensifying. For some, decolonization offers a roadmap to genuine transformation. For Moscow, it remains the ultimate taboo. 

[FULL INTERVIEW IN VIDEO WITHIN THE ARTICLE AND ON TVP WORLD YT CHANNEL]