Oh, these concepts! On the scheme of Russian history and Soviet WWII historiography (06.07.2026)
A street dialogue between Vitaliy Dribnytsia and a passer-by who presents himself as a supporter of Russian historiography. The historian explains how the “Tikhomirov concept” roots Russia’s history in Kyiv, why the future Muscovy was a periphery of Rus’, how Soviet historiography of the Second World War was rewritten to fit each general secretary, and why the closed archives near Moscow make it impossible to count the losses. A source for the articles on Russian history textbooks and the cult of the “Great Victory.”
Key moments
- 01:37 Academician Tikhomirov's concept: Russian history begins with Kyiv
- 06:03 A historical 'concept' as a skewer onto which facts are threaded
- 07:46 Future Muscovy as the north-eastern periphery of Rus' ('Zalissia'); Pereslavl-Zalessky
- 08:38 Multivolume 'History of Russia': vol. 2 covers Ukraine's archaeology, Moscow only in vol. 3
- 10:09 Soviet WWII historiography, rewritten to fit each general secretary
- 10:57 Closed military archives near Moscow: losses cannot be counted
- 15:49 The Battle of Rzhev running parallel to Stalingrad
- 16:22 Zhukov and the storming of Berlin: Seelow Heights instead of a blockade
- 17:32 Zhukov's education and the comparison with Rokossovsky