The Last War is a documentary series produced by Suspilne, featuring Ukrainian and Western intellectuals, historians, philosophers, writers, and politicians. The series analyses the historical roots, duration, and motives of the Russian-Ukrainian war. Previous episodes, Anatomy of Ruscism and What’s the Difference. Lessons, have already been released. Myroslava Barchuk is the creator, host, and co-director of the project.
Both parts of SVO: War and Peace follow a traditional television format: a prologue, commentary from the host (on- or off-screen), archival footage, and background music. Myroslava Barchuk and her team assembled an impressive lineup of guests, including writer Oksana Zabuzhko, American historian Timothy Snyder, journalist Yuriy Makarov, philosopher and political economist Francis Fukuyama, psychoanalyst Yuriy Prokhasko, and others. These contributors provide insightful commentary, combining their perspectives with visuals to create a compelling media event.
The documentary examines well-known historical events, such as the formation of the Russian Empire, Bolshevism, Soviet occupation, the Executed Renaissance, the Holodomor, World War II, and modern Russian aggression. However, the commentary weaves these events into a broader narrative, offering deeper insights into their essence.
One captivating theme in the first episode is the exploration of myths surrounding Russia’s “great culture” and “mysterious soul.” Since the Middle Ages, Russia has adopted Western forms—architectural, political, and administrative—while maintaining its fundamentally despotic nature. Philosopher Vakhtang Kebuladze aptly describes Russia as “a shadow of civilisation.” Russians, regardless of status, are acutely aware of their imitation and consequently harbour resentment towards both their models and themselves (Prokhasko).
This imitation has been so effective that it deceived the West. Philosopher Volodymyr Yermolenko notes that Western intellectuals perceive the “boundless” Russian soul as transcending balance, while Prokhasko suggests that Russians appear as “the other,” different yet seemingly harmless.
Literature has been the most powerful medium for perpetuating this deceptive image. According to Zabuzhko, in the absence of a strong church or governmental system, Russian literature became a national religion. This cultural reverence later enabled Russian studies in the West to function as “make-up artists” for the regime. A discussion between David Riff and Yermolenko highlights this: Riff views Tolstoy’s War and Peace as a pacifist novel, while Yermolenko argues it is a “theology of war,” glorifying how people achieve greatness through conflict.
The second part of the documentary focuses on the methods and consequences of these “cultural SVOs.” Russian tanks are often followed by propaganda-laden trucks. Over 2,100 cultural institutions in Ukraine have been damaged or destroyed during the full-scale invasion, and more than 100 artists, writers, poets, directors, and actors have been killed. Writer Viktoriya Amelina, shortly before being killed in a missile attack, described this destruction as part of a new “Executed Renaissance.”
A striking symbol of imperial culture’s violent nature is the sledgehammer—sent by Putin’s associate Yevgeniy Prigozhin to the European Parliament—hidden in a violin case. This image, highlighted in the film, underscores the danger behind Russia’s rhetoric of brotherhood, spirituality, and the “little man.” The sooner Europeans see through these illusions, the sooner the Russian imperialist machine, which relies as much on cultural deception as on military might, will collapse.
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As this text was being completed, news broke of the death of poet and soldier Mykhaylo “Nebo” Mykus on the frontlines. Following the full-scale invasion, Mykhaylo joined the army as a soldier in the 5th Separate Assault Brigade. His poetry collection The Universe of a Thousand Dreams was published two years ago.