Russian Colonialism 101 by Maksym Eristavi

Russian Colonialism 101 by Maksym Eristavi is a book my husband bought for me from Ukraine. The cup is too bought from Ukraine, on the same trip. Eristavi is a Ukrainian journalist who talks a lot on social media about russian colonialism. This is not related only to Ukraine, but to all the peoples colonised by russia, many of whom are still a part of the russian federation.

This is not only an interesting book with bitesize details on colonisation, but each chapter, of which there are 48, has a beautiful illustration. All the illustrations were made by a group of Ukrainian artists. It is both a history book and an art book. Even the cover is stunning with the imperial, soviet, and z symbols, all connected because the mindset is all connected as well. Some illustrations created during the illustrative workshop for the book Russian Colonialism 101 have been donated to the Ukrainian Museum of Contemporary Art (UMCA).

As for the number, 48 chapters can look like a lot. This book only covers the last 111 years of russian history. The intentional repetitions are making a great point about how much the imperial russia was like the soviet russia and both are like the russian federation of today.

The book starts in 1911 with Tuva. I thought it was the perfect choice of where to start. I say that because the former minister of defence, Sergei Shoigu, is a native of Tuva. The russian military bloggers often made derogatory comments about his performance, as he was unable to conquer all of Ukraine, calling him the “tuvan degenerate”. As for the russian invasion, the soldiers from Tuva and Buryatia are disproportionally dying in Ukraine because they are in greater numbers in the russian military. This is what colonisers do, the wealth goes from the colonies to the capital and the cities in which the colonisers live, while the ones being colonised are living in poverty even if the wealth comes from their land.

Nicely, this book covers both the European countries which suffered from russian aggression, for example Latvia, Estonia, Romania, Moldova and the Asian peoples who were colonised, such as the ones I mentioned above. This is a very important book, it offers a wide overview in a very few words and the patterns are so easy to spot. If you can, buy the book, borrow the book, read the book, admire the beautiful artwork in it.

Russian Colonialism 101 by Maksym Eristavi

Details about the picture: book and mug bought from Lviv, Ukraine
My rating: 5/5 Stars
Would I recommend it: YES!
Published by: IST Publishing
Year it was published: 2023
Format: Paperback
Genre(s): History – russian empire/ussr/russia
Pages: 134

About the author: Maksym Eristavi is a Ukrainian journalist, writer, and author of award-winning “Russian Colonialism 101,” an illustrated guide to Russian colonial crimes. A self-described ‘Russian colonialism storyteller in chief,’ he champions global awareness about the Russian colonial legacy. This mission is personal: a mixed Ukrainian with Asian, Roma, and Georgian roots, several generations of his family suffered from genocides, assimilation, and identity erasure throughout centuries of Russian colonial rule.
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