The “mother of all #RussianColonialism threads” refers to a viral Twitter thread by Ukrainian journalist Maksym Eristavi, posted just days before Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine in 2022. It documents over 50 colonial invasions by Russia spanning the past 350 years.

A powerful, eye-opening scroll highlights a repeating abuse pattern: gaslight, invade, exterminate.

The thread became a foundational resource for understanding Russian colonial behaviour. It reframed Russia not just as a rogue geopolitical actor, but as the world’s largest surviving colonial empire. The thread also gave language and structure to a conversation that had long been marginalised in global debates.