DECOLONIAL.IST is a knowledge base of Russian colonialism and a classification system of colonial actions, created to study colonial policy and to document the experience of the peoples subjected to Russian aggression.
The historical experience of colonized peoples is always fragmented, because colonizers do everything they can to rewrite history in their favor. Archival materials, testimonies, academic research and collective memory exist in scattered form and are rarely considered as parts of a single process. As a result, many events are perceived as isolated historical episodes rather than as manifestations of persistent patterns.
DECOLONIAL.IST was created to bring these materials together into a single system – a structured classification that makes it possible to identify recurring mechanisms and to trace the historical continuity of colonial practices.
The project demonstrates that the methods of colonial rule used by the Russian state in different historical periods are not a random collection of unrelated events but form a recurring system.
DECOLONIAL.IST makes it possible to study these patterns across the last five centuries, to analyze their present-day manifestations, to consider colonial processes as a long-term historical phenomenon, and to compare the practices of Russian colonization with other colonial projects.
The project is not only an archive of historical materials but also an instrument of political action. It makes it possible to identify present-day manifestations of (neo)colonial practices, to deconstruct imperial narratives, and to develop systematic approaches to countering them.
DECOLONIAL.IST builds on the methodology, structure and tooling of MITRE ATT&CK – the industry standard for studying threats and classifying malicious behaviors in cybersecurity.
The approach consists in studying the adversary – namely, its actions: Tactics, Techniques and Procedures. This makes it possible to move from generalities to specifics and to see a system behind scattered historical events.
As a result, instead of a list of facts we get a structured catalog of the colonizers' behavior patterns – one we can work with concretely, identify regularities in, and use to build a strategy of resistance.
At present, the base contains materials on the colonial practices Russia used against:
Tactics reveal the colonizer's motivation, answering the question “what needs to be done right now?” within the overall colonial project. A tactical goal may be, for example, strengthening the colonizer's position in a given territory (the consolidation tactic) or creating the impression that the colonial order is lawful and natural (the legitimization of domination tactic). Techniques are used to achieve tactical goals.
Techniques answer the question “how?” – they describe the specific methods a colonizer uses to achieve its tactical goals. For example, the aggressor often resorts to the destruction of local knowledge systems and the installation of a new system of governance in order to consolidate its hold on the seized territory.
A sub-technique is a more specific, lower-level description of the colonizer's action. For example, the aggressor may legislatively ban the native language of an indigenous people in order to consolidate its hold on the seized territory.
A procedure is a historical example of a colonizer using a technique or sub-technique in the course of a specific campaign against a specific people. They are listed on the Procedures page and can be filtered by the peoples affected by Russian aggression.
Sub-techniques are used to classify actions, while procedures are used to describe how techniques were carried out in real historical events.
An actor is a historical embodiment of the organizer of colonial conquest – for example, the Russian state in the forms of the Tsardom of Muscovy, the Russian Empire, the USSR and the Russian Federation.
An instrument is a specific colonial institution used to achieve the aggressor's tactical goals – for example, the Moscow Patriarchate, the Regular Army or the Secret Police and Security Services.
A campaign brings together a specific actor and the instruments and techniques they used against a specific indigenous people in a specific historical period. They are listed on the Campaigns page and can be filtered by the peoples affected by Russian aggression.
The project's materials can be used by:
The project can be used for:
One of the central problems of colonialism – above all Russian colonialism – is that it strives to rewrite history in its favor, destroying the evidence of its crimes, often together with the witnesses. We rely on a wide range of sources, including historical documents, eyewitness testimonies, the findings of specialist research, and photo and video materials.
If you notice information that you believe is incomplete or inaccurate, let us know by emailing contact@decolonial.ist, and we will consider your corrections.
DECOLONIAL.IST is not meant to be a finished or exhaustive system. It is rather an informational foundation – a structure for organizing information that will help the discourse develop further. The project evolves as new research, archival materials and historical testimonies come to light.
The materials presented here will be expanded, refined and revised. We claim neither absolute completeness in describing every aspect of Russian colonialism nor complete objectivity. An exhaustive description is impossible – among other reasons because Russian colonialism is, unfortunately, not only history but also the present.
Complete objectivity is impossible because all knowledge is situated: it is produced and formulated at a particular historical moment by particular people. We nevertheless strive to cover as many important aspects of Russian colonialism as possible and to present the information in a form that allows it to be verified and examined from different perspectives. We do not hide our position – but we do not impose it on you either.
The first prototype of DECOLONIAL.IST was developed in the spring of 2026 by a participant of the “RUSSIA AND DECOLONIZATION” course, as an attempt to apply a structured approach to the study of colonial processes, their historical continuity and their comparative analysis. The original idea was to find a way to organize scattered historical materials and present them as parts of a broader system of interconnected processes.
After the first prototype was presented, the project began to develop as a collective initiative of researchers, activists and participants of the decolonial movement. Specialists from various fields started joining the work, including researchers, historians and representatives of colonized peoples, whose analysis and experience are becoming part of the knowledge base.
DECOLONIAL.IST is a collective project that grows as new materials and new participants arrive.