In his 2014 address to the Federal Assembly, Russian President Vladimir Putin defined Crimea, Sevastopol and Chersonesus as sacred geographies for Russia, comparing these places to the Temple Mount in Jerusalem. He continues to reinforce this narrative on visits to the region that combine political, historical and spiritual symbolism. This talk draws on 20 years (2004-2024) of such political signaling by Putin as it explores his claim on Kyiv as the sacred center of Russian history and culture.

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