From Pushkin to Putin: Russian literature’s imperial ideology

Behind the early 19th-century classics lies the cold grip of an empire. We've moved on from Russia's imperial ideology, and yet the disturbing nationalism of literature past still rings true today. Volodymyr Yermolenko discusses the alarming elements of nationalism, conquest and cruelty weaved through the writings of literary greats such as Pushkin and Lermontov and how they are similar to the Kremlin's views today.