"Canceling" Russia
The Ukraine War and the Rise of the Western Hawks

This book focuses on Western attitudes toward Russia and the Russians following Vladimir Putin s decision to invade Ukraine. Western attitudes, while diverse, often revealed a highly negative reaction that condemned not only the Kremlin but the broader Russian society for its alleged complicity and support for the war. 

Dieses Buch konzentriert sich auf die Haltung des Westens gegenüber Russland und den Russen nach Wladimir Putins Entscheidung, in die Ukraine einzumarschieren. Die Haltungen des Westens waren zwar unterschiedlich, zeigten jedoch oft eine äußerst negative Reaktion, die nicht nur den Kreml, sondern die gesamte russische Gesellschaft für ihre angebliche Mitschuld und Unterstützung des Krieges verurteilte.

The author uses the metaphor of canceling to capture the attitude toward Russians that (1) holds them responsible for the war in Ukraine, (2) denies acceptance and recognition to various expressions of Russian culture, politics, and society, and (3) favors maximum pressures and the ultimate defeat over negotiations with Russia.

Der Autor verwendet die Metapher des Entwertens [Canceling], um die Haltung gegenüber den Russen zu erfassen, die (1) sie für den Krieg in der Ukraine verantwortlich macht, (2) verschiedenen Ausdrucksformen der russischen Kultur, Politik und Gesellschaft Akzeptanz und Anerkennung verweigert und (3) maximalen Druck und die endgültige Niederlage bei den Verhandlungen mit Russland befürwortet.

Mehr Infos

Inhaltsverzeichnis, Leseprobe und Zusammenfassungen der Kapitel beim Verlag (Content and more at the publisher)

Inhaltsverzeichnis und Leseprobe bei Google Books (Content and excerpt at Google Books)

Reviews / Rezensionen

“In this concise, balanced, and important study, one of the most insightful experts on Russia’s roles in the world analyzes the origins and failures of recent efforts to cancel Russian culture and defeat Russia militarily. While forthrightly criticizing Russia’s unwise full-scale invasion of Ukraine in 2022, Andrei Tsygankov also shows how blaming Vladimir Putin’s aggression on the Russian people as a whole has been inappropriate, how banning Russian artists and musicians has been counterproductive, and how the drive to decolonize Russia has been founded on illusions and misconceptions. Rejecting essentialist stereotypes and phobias in both Russia and the West, Tsygankov calls for mutually respectful and pragmatic dialogue to halt the fighting and establish the foundation for a peaceful settlement.” (David Foglesong, Rutgers University, author of The American Mission and the “Evil Empire” (2007))

“Andrei Tsygankov's book "Canceling Russia" is not so much about Russia as it is about the West: its Russophobia, superficiality of judgment, lack of self-reflection, intolerance of dissenters, and opposition to negotiations. A landmark in Russian studies, it is a must-read for anyone interested in achieving peace and preventing nuclear disaster.” (Olga Baysha, National Research University Higher School of Economics, author of “War, Peace, and Populist Discourse in Ukraine” (2023))

“In this provocative book, Andrei Tsygankov takes aim at efforts in the West to isolate Russia and its citizens, efforts that surpass even those that prevailed at the height of the Cold War. Tsygankov argues that the backlash against Russia reflects a sense of weakness and vulnerability in the West, allied with long-standing fears of Russia that long predate the invasion of Ukraine. As such, his book poses a serious challenge to those who imagine that “cancelling” Russia is a sign of strength.” (Paul Robinson, University of Ottawa, author of “Russia’s World Order: How Civilizationism Explains the Conflict with the West” (2025))

“This impressive work provides a forensic exploration of the hidden structure of the West’s hostility to Russia, exposing deep-seated antipathies and phobias and the resulting mania of negation. A nuanced, sophisticated, and accessible demystification of one of the most troubling political and cultural phenomena of our times.” (Richard Sakwa, University of Kent, author of “The Russo-Ukrainian War: Follies of Empire” (2026))

“A timely and hugely important book on the phenomenal growth of the Cancel Russia movement. Andrei Tsygankov explores the movement’s roots and exposes its extremist tendencies. For really radical Russophobes, cancelling Russia is merely the prelude to its eradication, not just as a Great Power but as society and culture as well. Tsygankov’s book is sure to become a classic of contemporary political analysis.” (Geoffrey Roberts, University College Cork, Member of the Royal Irish Academy, author of Stalin’s Library)

“Professor Tsygankov’s book is a very timely and important discussion of the nature of Russian society and its foreign policy. It traces how decades of semi-official Russophobia were translated into “Cancel Russia” after 2022, by emphasizing Russian society’s collective guilt for the invasion of Ukraine. As Tsygankov astutely notes, this takes the conflict between Russia and the West to an entirely new level and makes it as much a story of the West’s loss of confidence, as it is about Russia. This book will be an indispensable guide to future historians, as they search for the ideological origins of this conflict, and try to understand how the worst fears of each side propelled them into armed conflict.” (Nicolai Petro, Professor of Political Science, University of Rhode Island and the author of “The Tragedy of Ukraine” (2022))

Mediathek

Andrei Tsygankov: Russland auf der Abschussliste – Aufstieg der westlichen Falken
→ Glenn Diesen Deutsch YouTube (12.01.2026)

Autoreninfos