Not our war. A comparison of two anti-war and decolonial organisations' collective identity construction processes in light of Putin's full-scale invasion of Ukraine

Abstract

Following Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine in February 2022 and Putin’s announcement of partial mobilisation in September 2022, demonstrations broke out in several of Russia’s ethnic republics. At the same time, ethnic minorities and Indigenous activists created anti-war organisations that also demanded for the decolonisation of Russia. These organisations have received a lot of attention outside of Russia and have been presented as forming a united anti-war and decolonial movement. Despite these organisations sharing many similarities, they have different aims, strategies and understandings of decolonisation. This thesis aims to explore whether or not it is possible to speak of a united anti-war and decolonial movement. It does so by comparing the similarities and differences in online collective identity construction processes on Instagram between two prominent anti-war and decolonial organisations: Free Buryatia Foundation and Free Yakutia Foundation. The findings indicate that both organisations share important similarities in the construction of online collective identity, such as by emphasising the importance of building interethnic alliances; identifying the same issues negatively impacting their structural positions; and employing strategies that, although different, are driven by the politicisation of culture, identity and politics. Based on this, it is reasonable to conclude that there is evidence of a shared collective identity that could suggest the existence of a broader united anti-war and decolonial movement.