- 18.05.2026 07:48
Historical Memory Under Attack by Falsification
A roundtable discussion “Preserving Historical Memory and Countering the Falsification of History” was held at Tula State University.
The event was attended by researchers from Russia, Serbia, and South Ossetia, who pointed to systematic attempts to rewrite history – from the Balkan Wars to modern information conflicts.
Yevgeny Ryabinin, candidate of pedagogical sciences and associate professor at Mariupol State University, opened the meeting with a report on the abuse of cinematography in the falsification of historical events. He conducted a detailed analysis of American films made in the 1990s and early 21st century, which invariably portrayed Serbs as villains - murderers, war criminals, and savages. This narrative, he noted, paved the way for the legitimization of NATO's bombing of the Federal Republic of Yugoslavia in 1999. Ryabinin warned that the same model is being applied to Russians today in Hollywood films, where public opinion is formed even before any real conflict.
Dejan Umetić, director of the Srem Archive in Sremska Mitrovica, spoke about the culture of memory in the geographical region of Srem, but from the perspective of the Croatian part of the territory. Umetić unequivocally demonstrated how the Croatian state systematically erases all traces of Serbian presence in western Srem, despite Serbs have been living in the area for centuries. Srem, he recalled, suffered the most during World War II under the Ustaše regime, but the destruction of Serbian identity, history, and culture continues today - through the changing of street names, the demolition of monuments, the banning of Cyrillic alphabet, and the revision of textbooks.
Milan Stojanović followed up Umetić's presentation by presenting documentary evidence of the institutional destruction of Serb archives and cultural heritage in Croatia.
After the collapse of Yugoslavia, Croatia systematically destroyed Serbian heritage: 2.8 million books were destroyed, 400,000 Serbs were deported, and the Jasenovac death camp was portrayed as a “labor camp”. Great figures such as Nikola Tesla were portrayed as Croats. This reworking of history, the author warns, inevitably leads to new tragedies.
Boris Murvanidze, candidate of historical sciences and director of the Ivanovo House of Nationalities, attracted particular attention. He presented his recently published book, “Lessons of Truth”, in which he exposes the systematic falsification of Russian history in the West. According to Murvanidze, from the time of Peter the Great to the present day, Western narratives have deliberately distorted Russia's role in the world. Citing Presidential Decree No. 809, he noted that historical memory and the continuity of generations are one of 17 traditional values that must be protected today - not only in schools and science, but also through books, films, and digital platforms.
Sergei Fedoseyev, historian and lecturer at the Knowledge Society, presented an overview of anti-Russian umbrella organizations from 1914 to 2014. He chronologically traced the development of Prometheism - from Pilsudski's “Japan Memorandum” (1904) and the “Oberliga” (1924) to contemporary initiatives such as the Forum of Free Peoples of Russia (2022). He demonstrated the continuity of strategies aimed at dismembering Russia, which are now taking on a new form within the framework of the “Three Seas Initiative” and the “Lublin Triangle”.
Nikolay Bazayev from South Ossetia compared the falsification of history in Nazi Germany and modern Ukraine, while Ostoja Voinovich from the Ural Federal University analyzed in detail the bombing of Radio and Television of Serbia on April 23, 1999, citing reports from the Hague Tribunal and Amnesty International.
Alexey Savin from Tula State University concluded the meeting, reminding everyone that the falsification of history is not an academic game, but a direct weapon in information wars aimed at legitimizing military interventions and destabilizing entire regions.
Tula roundtable confirmed that the truth about the past - despite all the attacks - remains the most solid foundation for peace and the future.
