Vereshchagin Without Colonialism: How Post-Soviet Russia Did Not Commemorate the 150th Anniversary of the Conquest of Central Asia

This article examines a Vasily Vereshchagin retrospective that took place in 2018 at the New Tretyakov Gallery in Moscow. The author asks the question of why this exhibition dedicated to the history of the Russian conquest of Central Asia in the second half of the 19th century did not become a catalyst for Russian society to reflect upon its colonial past. Instead of the theme of conquest, the exhibition and the catalog suggest seeing the savagery of local customs, the heroism of Russian soldiers, and the special relationship of Russia to the East, more equal than in other empires. According to the essay's author, such an altered view reflects prevailing current ideological and political interests in post-Soviet Russia.