Geschatte leestijd: 2 minuten
The idea of Russkiy mir (literally meaning the “Russian World”) promoted by the Church in cooperation with the State relies on the common religious, linguistic and historical heritage of the Eastern Slavs. It was relaunched in the contemporary official rhetoric by President Putin in 2006 and became actively promoted by Patriarch Kirill since his enthronement in 2009. Going through years, the rhetoric of Russkiy mir has experienced considerable changes: from a cross-border entity under the auspices of the Russian Orthodox Church through East Slavic civilization to a cross-religious stronghold of conservative values. The outbreak of war in Ukraine gave rise to a new pattern of topoi in the Patriarch’s discourse, which is indicative of the eschatological message he intends to convey. It is based on the clash between Russia as a nation-state, which is the only pillar of God’s truth led by the Orthodox President, and the anti-Christian collective West. In this respect, death of Russian soldiers acquires symbolic meaning as sacrifice in the name of the divine truth. These discursive patterns evidence the blending of political and religious discourses, which becomes increasingly pronounced in the public space. It also demonstrates that Orthodoxy is becoming Russia’s new civil religion promoted through the concept of traditional values.
Bio
Natalia Bruffaerts teaches at the Marie Haps Faculty of Translation and Interpreting, UCLouvain Saint-Louis Bruxelles. She holds a PhD degree in comparative linguistics. Her main fields of research comprise rhetoric, discourse analysis and translation studies.
26 november 2025, 16:00, Blandijn, Leslokaal 5.50, Universiteit Gent
