Historian Vladlen Maraev discusses the irreversible changes in Putin's psyche, Kremlin myths, the nuclear issue, and the rise of Ukrainian YouTube.

The full-scale war initiated by Russia against Ukraine has not only failed to extinguish interest but has instead sparked an unprecedented surge in citizens' curiosity about history, re-evaluating historical events and figures. Concurrently, the "total Ukrainization" in the country has entered a new phase, permeating nearly all aspects of public life. Inevitably, these trends have also impacted social media, particularly YouTube.

Regarding the most heated historical and some contemporary topics, as well as the rise of Ukrainian YouTube, "Telegraph" spoke with Vladlen Maraev — a popular blogger, co-author of the YouTube channels "History Without Myths" and "10 Questions to a Historian," and a candidate of historical sciences.

In the first part of the interview, the discussion focused on competition within the Ukrainian segment of YouTube, battles with bots and Russians on social media, Putin's real ailment, his doubles, and whether the memoirs of the dictator's entourage can be trusted after his death.

Watch the complete video interview with Vladlen Maraev on our YouTube channel.

On the Competition of Historical YouTube Channels

— Let's start with the trends in the Ukrainian segment of YouTube. What difficulties do you see today in promoting Ukrainian content and the history of Ukraine?

— There are always difficulties. In principle, 2022 was the peak of interest in history. Then, starting in 2023, I believe we began to see a gradual decline in this interest. Additionally, the market became saturated with offerings from historical YouTube channels.

Over these two years, their number has increased approximately 6-7 times, from around 40 to 240, possibly even more. And this is in the Ukrainian language. Therefore, these two processes are certainly interconnected and understandable. Generally speaking, what problems can there be? We work constantly and regularly. Problems are mostly of a working nature.

— When will the "History Without Myths" channel reach its first million subscribers (in October, 870,000 viewers subscribed to the project. — Ed.)?

— (smiling) This is a philosophical question to which no one knows the answer. You know, sometimes people write in the comments, saying, "Let's reach a million by the end of this year." In reality, the dynamics are always very changeable. In some months, you gain 20,000 subscribers, in others, perhaps 3,000. So you can never know how many subscribers you will have in the future.

In some months, people may unsubscribe as well. So, when it happens, it happens. The main point is not the number of subscribers, but the number of views. Because channels that chase subscriber counts are just vanity. As a result, they end up with a colossal gap where they buy their audience, and then no one watches them. When no one watches them, YouTube perceives the channel as uninteresting to viewers and simply demotes it in search results.

As a result, you can have many subscribers and very few views. Where there are few views, there is little money. Ultimately, it often ends with authors losing interest in the project and abandoning it. This happens very frequently. Therefore, we are proud that we always have a purely natural growth.

— Do many users unsubscribe from your channels, and who are these people? Russians or some haters?

— Periodically, of course, people unsubscribe. Firstly, we do not work at all for Russians. If in the beginning, before 2020, we had 3-4% of views from Russia, now there are none at all. We have closed the right for Russians to watch our channel. We do not want them to see our content. We work exclusively in Ukrainian and will never work in Russian for an audience from the Russian Federation…

…When Russians see Ukrainian content, including quite popular content, they often swarm in with bot farms and try to downvote a video.

Thus, such occurrences cannot be allowed. For this reason, we have had to delete many comments that contained Russian propaganda. I do not want to waste my time, which is very precious, on deleting some, excuse my language, crap from the comments. But Russians have no right to express their opinions under our videos if those opinions are anti-Ukrainian; they should be ruthlessly suppressed and denied that opportunity.

Will "History Without Myths" Appear on the Telethon

— Can you specify how many historical channels exist in the Ukrainian segment of YouTube and what they represent?

— According to the ranking from the website manifest.in.ua, it seems there are already more than 250. These are channels in the Ukrainian language focused on historical topics.

— On one hand, it's positive that there is such heightened interest in history now. On the other hand, what are the downsides? What is the future of these projects?

— Most of these channels are run by amateur historians rather than professionals. Consequently, the quality of presentation is quite low. To be frank, the filming and editing are non-professional and amateurish. So, the quality is somewhat lacking. But that's okay. Such things should exist. Anyone interested can create whatever they want, and no one can or should forbid them. Therefore, of course, there will be many such projects. Projects that have money, a team, etc.

For instance, the channel "Real History" (the project was launched by journalist Akim Galimov, who creates short videos on important historical topics that Russia speculates on; it has 621,000 subscribers. — Ed.).

However, this is not a YouTube project but a purely television one that originated from television, initially developing on TV. Then they transitioned to uploading videos on YouTube. At the same time, they continue to have a presence on television. They have a large team (over 10 people), and accordingly, more opportunities. A project purely for YouTube like ours has a small team, and everything is done solely for the internet. We do not appear on television. We do not want to dilute, in particular, our traffic.

— What if the telethon offers you a spot?

– Most likely, they will never offer us that. Because I think they are not interested in such things.

On Putin's Ailments and His Doubles

— You are a popular blogger and frequently give interviews. What questions from journalists do you wish to avoid, and why?

— There are no such questions. In reality, I am indifferent about which questions to answer. However, honestly, I am somewhat tired of questions about the war, Ukraine, Russia, the same topics, myths, and fakes. Because, excuse me, these have been asked for four years in a row. And it is a bit exhausting.

— Is history for you more of a hobby, a job, a pastime, creativity, or work?

— First and foremost, it is my profession. I am a historian by profession and education. I work in a scientific institution and also engage in popularizing history.

— Do you plan to continue your academic scientific career? You are currently a candidate of historical sciences. What is the next step?

— The next step is a doctoral degree. If I have more time, maybe. For example, if we close "History Without Myths." If viewers vote for us to close it, then I will work on my doctoral dissertation.

— We cannot help but ask about the war: can the current times be compared to the events of the Ukrainian Revolution of 1917-1921 in terms of the intensity of events and tragedy?

— Everything mentioned is happening now. It is both a tumultuous and tragic, heroic period in history, and in some ways positive. Because the war has allowed the Ukrainian idea to flourish like never before. And I think few can argue with me on this.

But, unfortunately, all this comes at a colossal cost of blood. And therein lies the immense tragedy and misfortune. It is a very turbulent period now, but still, in terms of the intensity of events and dynamics, it is not the same as the Ukrainian Revolution. After all, how can one compare when, back then, power changed in Kyiv 14 times in 3 years? Thank God, the government has not changed in Ukraine now. It has not changed in Kyiv, and it will not change.

Because Russians are taking a