“A despot and an imperial vision: this is the prison in which Russian identity has been locked up for centuries. And Vladimir Putin, in power for twenty-five years and the architect of the war in Ukraine, will not deny it! There is no doubt that a pluralistic and open regime cannot emerge sustainably in Russia as long as Russians do not also turn their backs on this imperial identity, which cloaks itself in a false anti-imperialism and a false existential defense.

This is the bold thesis of this essay, which continues with a selection of texts—some little-known—by Europeans who, from the 16th to the 21st century, have questioned Russia’s imperial despotism. Their relevance is troubling. For let us make no mistake: fascinated and critical, these texts also hold up a mirror to Europe, reflecting back to it what it was: colonial, imperialist, and fascist—and what it could well become: antidemocratic.”