Soviet Nostalgia and Silence: How a YouTube Channel Normalizes Russia's War
An op-ed argues that Eli from Russia channels a selective Soviet nostalgia that flattens history and sidesteps politics, erasing accountability for Russia's war in Ukraine. By interviewing people across Russia and Central Asia while omitting discussion of the war or state power, the YouTuber's content cultivates a politics of responsibility avoidance, enabling public tolerance of aggression and reinforcing a cultural memory that justifies imperial actions.