The City of Glory: Sevastopol in Russian Historical Mythology

Abstract

Ever since the dissolution of the USSR the fate of the Black Sea fleet and its main base, the port and city of Sevastopol, remains at the centre of Russian-Ukrainian relations. The current dispute between the two largest of the former Soviet republics is deeply rooted in history, as the Russian side often uses historical arguments in its attempts to claim the Russian Federation's jurisdiction over the Crimea in general and the city of Sevastopol in particular. In doing so the Russian politicians often make use of highly developed historical mythology that presents Sevastopol as a symbol of Russian national glory and portrays Ukrainian jurisdiction over the city as a historical misunderstanding. This article discusses the development of Sevastopol mythology in Imperial and Soviet Russia from the times of the Crimean War till the dissolution of the USSR. It does so by placing Sevastopol mythology in the broader context of the development of Russian national identity and follows the changes in the functioning of the myth through more than a century. The article examines the atmosphere in which the myth of Sevastopol as a city of Russian glory was formed and how it managed to survive the dramatic changes that occurred in the former Russian Empire after the Revolution. It also discusses the ways in which the old imperial myth was transformed in order to meet the requirements of Soviet ideology and, within the last decade, of the ideological and political goals pursued by the new Russian state.