On Monday 16/12/2025, EDMO BELUX welcomed Dr. Maxime Audinet for a webinar on his IRSEM Study on the new anticolonial narratives developed in Russian political discourses and spread in the online informational ecosystem. The lecture was hosted by Dr. Victor Wiard. Enjoy the full recording below and subscribe to our newsletter to learn about our future events.
More about the video:
Maxime Audinet’s study investigates the narrative dimension of Russian foreign policy, focusing on the resurgence of the anti-(neo)colonial narrative since the 2022 invasion of Ukraine. It adopts the framework of “strategic narratives”, which aim to shape international perceptions to influence actors. Unlike other approaches, this analysis starts from the narrative itself to trace its producers and disseminators. It examines the speeches of Russian political elites, diplomatic communication, and state media like RT and Sputnik, as well as their spread in sub-Saharan Africa through influence networks such as the “Prigozhin galaxy.”
The study reveals that this narrative aims to legitimize Russian foreign policy by claiming continuity with Soviet anti-imperialist engagement, to renew the critique of Western interventionism, and to attract and seduce audiences in the “Global South” through ideological and discursive alignments.
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Dr. Maxime Audinet is a Research Fellow at IRSEM and a specialist of Russian politics. He holds a PhD in Political science and Slavic studies from the University of Paris Nanterre (2020) and a MPhil in political theory from the Doctoral School of Sciences Po Paris (2014). His research focuses on the role of influence in the foreign policy of authoritarian states.