Democracy in Focus: International Conference on Russia's Change

Democracy in Focus: International Conference on Russia's Change

The conference “An Attempt at Democracy: Russia 1989–1999” began on June 10, 2025, organized by the Ruhr University Alliance at the Ruhr University. Prorector Prof. Dr. Achim von Keudell opened the event, which is designed as an international forum for exchange about democracy, culture of remembrance and the challenges of authoritarian tendencies in Russia. EU Ambassador Roland Galharague welcomed the participants live from Moscow and underlined the relevance of the topic in the current political situation.

The conference brought together renowned personalities from various fields, including politics, social sciences, journalism and human rights work. One of the special guests was the well-known historian and human rights activist Irina Scherbakova. She gave an impressive lecture about her experiences with the banned human rights organization “Memorial,” which was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize in 2022. Scherbakova spoke about coming to terms with the history of Soviet and Russian violence, which continues to be associated with deep challenges.

The importance of remembering history

One of the central themes of Scherbakova's lecture was the lack of social willingness to scientifically come to terms with the past. She demanded an official declaration of the Soviet Union as a criminal state. This is also reflected in current political practice, where the memory discourse is heavily controlled by the government.

The conference also addressed the historical development of Russia since the collapse of the Soviet Union. In recent years, the commemoration of the end of the Second World War in Russia has particularly changed. On May 9th, the day of the victory over Nazi Germany, major celebrations took place again in 2025 with a military parade in Moscow that presented thousands of soldiers and heavy military equipment. Historian Scherbakova pointed out that this day was rarely celebrated for a long time during the Stalin era, which underlines the historical complexity.

Authoritarian developments and culture of remembrance

In her discourse, Scherbakova also emphasized the misuse of the memory of the victory over Hitler's Germany by current politicians, primarily by the Russian leadership under Vladimir Putin. She saw today's speeches as a "mockery of the victims" of the war and criticized the rhetoric that increasingly ignores reminiscence of the suffering and the idea of ​​peace today.

A comparison with the developments on the Ukrainian side shows that in Ukraine historical archives have been made accessible, while in Russia the politics of remembrance is severely restricted. These divergent approaches increase the tension between the two countries and illustrate how important it is to reflect on one's own history in order to counteract authoritarian trends.

The conference “An Attempt at Democracy” is therefore not only a look into the past, but also a plea for a fairer future that takes into account the lessons of history. Its aim is to actively promote discussion about democracy and to learn from the mistakes of the past, as is clearly visible in events of a similar nature in Europe, such as the conference “From Authoritarian Societies to Democracy”, which took place in 2008 and addressed key democratic policy challenges.

How news.rub.de reports, the conference was organized in cooperation with the Eastern Academic Alliance and supported by the ZEIT Foundation Bucerius and the Postcode lottery. This illustrates the importance of exchanging ideas about democracy and dealing with the past at the international level. In addition, the urgency of a lasting dialogue about political systems and their influences on society is becoming increasingly relevant.

In summary, it shows that both in Russia and in other countries, the sensitivity to coming to terms with history and today's political challenges are linked. Irina Scherbakova's statements and the discussions at the conference make it clear that the road to democracy is often rocky and requires a willingness to reflect and change.