Violent faces of the Russian state
Authors: Maria Gunko
Location: Russia
Themes: Infrastructure, Postsocialism, Statecraft, Statehood, Violence
While the war in Ukraine is making the 'fast' spectacular violence of the Russian state increasingly evident, the latter's 'slow' violence has largely remained out of the spotlight. Drawing on various data sources, this essay discusses the different yet co-existing sets of state practices – statecraft and statehood. It portrays a more nuanced picture of state violence expressed by the Russian state both against Ukraine and against its own citizens within Russia.