Historian on why Russian dissidents oppose decolonization

Why do some young people in the West romanticize communism? How did Russian President Vladimir Putin manage to sell the idea of retaining the imperialist regime to the Russian people? And why do so many Russian dissidents resist discussions about the decolonization of Russia? To get answers to these questions, the Kyiv Independent’s reporter Dinara Khalilova spoke with Botakoz Kassymbekova, a historian of Eastern European history at the University of Zurich. Subscribe to our channel for more independent reporting from Ukraine. Become a member of our community: https://kyivindependent.com/membershi... Your support allows us to bring independent, locally sourced news about Ukraine to the world. Timecodes: 00:00 - Why the West romanticizes the Soviet Union 03:41 - Russia's national ideology 07:12 - What's different about Ukraine 08:12 - Concept of "Imperial Innocence" 10:38 - Why Russian opposition doesn't want to talk about decolonization 13:25 - Can Russia change if there's no Putin?