New Report: Russia – Europe’s Last Colonial Empire

A new report shows that Russia’s colonial history has long been overlooked, with significant consequences for how today’s conflicts are understood. The authors are now calling for a new perspective on Russia as part of Europe’s shared colonial legacy.

A new report funded by MPF, “The Last European Colonial Empire”, sheds light on a frequently overlooked aspect of European history: Russia’s role as a colonial power. According to the report, Russia has, for several centuries, acted in ways fundamentally similar to other European empires, yet without being widely recognized as part of the broader colonial project.

Unlike traditional colonial powers such as the United Kingdom and France, Russia built its empire primarily by colonizing neighboring territories rather than overseas lands. This has contributed to a persistent perception that Russia was not a colonial power in the conventional sense. However, the report argues that this distinction is misleading. Russia employed the same methods, both ideologically and in practice, as other European empires: territorial expansion, claims of spreading “civilization,” natural resource exploitation, and the violent subjugation of local populations.

The report’s conclusion is clear: Russia was, and remains, an integral part of Europe’s colonial history. The authors also point to a continuity from the expansion of the Tsarist era, through the Soviet Union, to the present-day Russian state. This historical trajectory is considered crucial for understanding current events, not least the war in Ukraine.

According to the report, the international community’s failure to recognize Russia’s colonial legacy has had tangible consequences. By overlooking the colonial drivers behind Russian policy, both its ambitions and patterns of behavior have been underestimated.

‒ Failure to acknowledge Russia’s colonial legacy has led to catastrophic consequences, says Casey Michel. “For centuries, many of those outside of Moscow ignored the clear colonialism at the heart of the Kremlin’s policies,” Michel said. “Because of this, they not only sidelined and downplayed anti-colonial efforts out of places like Ukraine, Kazakhstan, Georgia, and more – but also ignored all of the colonial legacies and tensions still in Russia itself.”

At the same time, the report highlights that, unlike many other European empires, Russia has never had a debate on or practically undergone a decolonization process. As a result, colonial structures and ideas continue to shape the country’s politics and its relations with nation in and around the Russian Federation.

‒ We must begin to view Russia’s history through a colonial lens in order to understand today’s conflicts. Without reckoning with this legacy, the same patterns risk repeating themselves, says Brian Whitmore. “For decades, Western universities have taught an imperial version of Eastern European and Eurasian history that legitimizes Russian colonialism and ignores the independent histories of the nations that have been colonized.”

The report calls for a broader international discussion on Russian colonialism, arguing that such an understanding is essential for addressing future security challenges.

Read the report