“Empire of lies”

This chapter explores the moral dimension of Russian justification for the 2022 invasion of Ukraine, emphasizing how it is rooted in a broader framework that portrays the conflict as a civilizational struggle between Russia and the West. It argues that Putin’s rhetoric – particularly the invocation of an “empire of lies” – frames the West as morally corrupt and hostile, seeking to undermine Russia’s spiritual, cultural, and civilizational identity. Drawing on the writings of Aleksandr Dugin, official Russian foreign policy documents, and the concept of Russkiy mir (the Russian World), the chapter aims to show how Russia constructs an alternative value-driven vision of international order based on tradition, sovereignty, and civilizational pluralism. This vision rejects liberal universalism and positions Russia as a moral actor defending truth and order against Western decadence and hegemony. This chapter also identifies these claims as situated within the historical context of Slavophile thought and post-Soviet identity formation, showing that the Russian state and the Orthodox Church collaborate to sacralize foreign policy goals. Ultimately, this chapter contends that Russian values as presented by Vladimir Putin and Aleksandr Dugin are shaped not simply by organic cultural evolution, but also by the strategic negation and cynical interpretation of Western values.