A Difficult Friendship: Danish-Russian Relations from the Mid-19th Century to the Present Day - Dr Kim Frederichsen

In his overview of Danish-Russian relations Dr Kim Frederichsen will primarily focus on the period from the mid-19th century to the present day. However, in his introduction he will briefly explain how relations between the Kingdom of Denmark-Norway and Muscovy were first established by the bilateral treaties of 1493, 1506 and 1517 and developed subsequently, and will refer to Denmark’s initial participation along with Russia as a member of the multilateral anti-Swedish alliance during the Great Northern War (1700-1721) before relations soured. In 1866 bilateral relations distinctly improved when the Danish Princess Dagmar married the future Alexander III. Princess Dagmar (afterwards known as Maria Feodorovna) was followed to Russia by Danish farmers, industrialists and (in particular) merchants, many of whom settled in eastern Siberia, the Danish merchants purchasing butter from the Danish farmers who had settled there, for resale on the European markets (including in Great Britain). Dr. Frederichsen will trace the activities of the different groups of Danish émigrés and their impact on Russian society and international trade relations during what became a harmonious period for Danish-Russian relations.

This ‘golden era’ ended with the Russian Revolutions of February and October 1917 and the ensuing Civil War (1918-1922), when most Danish émigrés lost their estates and fortunes. In 1924 Denmark recognised the new Soviet state, although bilateral relations subsequently cooled and most contact then took place through the various Danish-Soviet friendship organisations. Dr. Frederichsen will trace the history of these friendship organisations and give examples of their activities.

Following the end of the Cold War, official Danish-Russian relations were re-established, but the relationship was not without difficulties. Dr. Frederichsen will elaborate on its highs (the reburial of Maria Feodorovna in Saint Petersburg in 2006) and lows (Russia’s reaction to a Chechen World Conference organised in Copenhagen in 2002), as well as outlining the role of the reorganised Danish-Russian Association, which celebrated its 100th anniversary in 2024. He will conclude his presentation with some observations on the current state of Danish-Russian relations in light of the Russo-Ukrainian War.

Kim Frederichsen, who holds a Ph.D in Soviet and post-Soviet area studies from the University of Copenhagen, is an independent scholar specialising in Danish-Russian relations from the time of Peter the Great to President Putin, including during the period of the Cold War with a particular focus on the “cultural” Cold War. He wrote his Ph.D dissertation on Soviet cultural diplomacy towards Denmark during the Cold War. He is a board member of the Danish United Nations Association, the think thank Europe Dialogue and Denmark’s Baltic Sea NGO Network; and is a member of the advisory board of the Danish Helsinki Committee for Human Rights and editor of the review section of the Danish journal Arbejderhistorie (‘Labour History’). He has published numerous articles (in both Danish and English) on various aspects of Soviet and post-Soviet history.