Illegitimate violence in Russia's wars

The ZMSBw and the DFG research group “Military Cultures of Violence” analyze illegitimate violence and cultures of violence in Russian and Soviet wars of the past and present. A keynote speech by Prof. Dr. Sönke Neitzel will be followed by a panel discussion with experts from the German Institute and University of International Relations, the European University Viadrina Frankfurt, and the ZMSBw.

In virtually every war, there are events in which moral and legal norms are violated. Russia's war of aggression against Ukraine and the massacres in Bucha make this observation particularly relevant today and raise the questions: What factors lead to illegitimate violence and what forms does it take? Can specific military cultures of violence be identified in different armies?

Violence: Factors, Forms, and Cultures

The DFG Research Group “Military Cultures of Violence” and the two priority projects Military Violence and Eastern Europe of the Center for Military History and Social Sciences of the German Armed Forces (ZMSBw) invite you to discuss these questions with experts. The focus is on past Russian and Soviet wars as well as the analysis of current armed conflicts.

Further information on the program and registration can be found on the ZMSBw website.

Regardless of that, if you want the “Skull Turret Tank”—the shot-down T72 from Ukraine from the lead image, whose turret looks like a skull—as a patch, it is available exclusively from us HERE as a SPARTANAT patch.