MEDIA RELEASE: 24 February 2022 – R0022
As world leaders responded to Russia’s audacious invasion of Ukraine Thursday, Feb. 24, a Brock University expert on war, genocide and military occupations says Vladimir Putin is operating under his own set of rules.
“The Russian view of the world is not our view,” says Gregor Kranjc, Associate Professor with the Department of History. “It doesn’t view the principles that we think we all agree on, like sovereignty, the same as we do.”
Despite the Soviet Union signing on to the Helsinki Accords in 1975, which guaranteed that European states would not interfere with each other’s borders or internal affairs, Putin doesn’t see Ukraine as a legitimate sovereign nation. By using the language of genocide to describe the grievances of Ukraine’s Russian minority, Putin creates a pretext to enter Ukraine, says Kranjc.
Russia’s reasoning for the invasion is further complicated by the country’s relationship with the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO).
“Russia needs to regain its power and prestige in the world, that is one aspect, but there is also this view that the west took advantage of Russia’s position in the 1990s by expanding NATO into Russia’s historic area of influence,” says Kranjc.
From the Russian perspective, NATO is a threat as it has extended its alliance into territories that had previously been influenced by Russia, he says.
“They do not see it as a defense organization; They see it as a threatening organization,” says Kranjc. “From the Russian perspective, NATO is approaching them and is encircling them.”
Kranjc’s research interests include war and society with a focus on ethnic and religious minorities in Central Europe and the Balkans. He teaches courses on the history of terrorism, genocide and military occupations. Prior to coming to Brock, Kranjc worked in the Crimes Against Humanity and War Crimes section of the Canadian Department of Justice.
Associate Professor of History Gregor Kranjc is available for media interviews.
For more information or for assistance arranging interviews:
* Dan Dakin, Manager Communications and Media Relations, Brock University ddakin@brocku.ca or 905-347-1970
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