On Saturday, guest lecturer Markus Göransson talked about the so-called intellectual failures and the delusions of Vladimir Putin and his closest leadership staff that paved the way for the invasion of Ukraine.
Why is this important to lecture about?
– We who do research on Russia, and many others, were very taken aback by Russia’s decision to enter Ukraine on a broad front. It seemed so mindless and irrational. And I think the explanation for the decision lies in the delusions that took hold in the highest political leadership in Russia, says Markus Göransson, lecturer in war science at the Norwegian Defense University.
He believes that Vladimir Putin has buried himself in ideas that have little connection to reality. Putin’s delusions are said to have been reinforced by the fact that he surrounds himself with a small number of yes-sayers who sympathize and share his views on the West and Ukraine.
The exhibition Meanwhile in Ukraine
In addition to the exhibition being based on material from the National Museum of the History of Ukraine in the Second World War, it is Olena Shovkoplia’s photo documentation that is on display at the Maritiman.
To add another dimension, murals have been made that deal with children and young people’s experiences of war and flight.