Ukraine. British historian: Putin’s goal is to ‘seize the land’

There are four statues in the Representative Hall of the Kremlin. Is there Peter the Great, with which the modern history of Russia begins. he is too Catherine the Greatthat strengthened Russian power in the eighteenth century. And the Tsar Alexanderwho defeated Napoleon. These are the rulers for whom Russian President Vladimir Putin Compared to those who defended Russia against the West and claimed, like Alexander, that they were saving Europe, Figgis said in an interview published in the latest issue of Der Spiegel weekly.

– The most interesting is the fourth statue – Nicholas I. In my opinion, this tsar is very similar to Putin, as noted by the British historian, researcher of the history of Russia and the Soviet Union in the nineteenth and twentieth centuries.

Justifying his thesis, Figgis points out the fact of this Nicholas I ruled from 1825 to 1855, during times of revolutionary upheaval in Europe and Russia.

Nicholas was terrified of the revolution. what did he do? On the one hand, it creates an ideological defense – a trinity of authoritarianism, orthodoxy and nationalism. This is very similar to what Putin believes in – political backwardness, anti-Western nationalism, propagation of traditional Christian values, or what Nikolai and Putin consider. Both fought the secular influences of the West She called for the isolation of Russia. Strict control and severe penalties for those who constitute a danger to the regime, as the historian enumerates.

Fig considers that the greatest similarity is that Both rulers declared war on almost all of EuropeTo defend Russian principles. In the case of Nicholas I, Russia eventually lost the Crimean War of 1853-1856. Nicholas I died before the end of the war.

Putin’s goal is to “grab the land” – Land grabs and revenge in 1991. – Putin and his people at that time were middle-level secret services and they had to watch their bosses lose their empire. In their opinion, Ukraine bears the main responsibility for the collapse of the Soviet Union, because by declaring independence, it thwarted Gorbachev’s plans, the historian explained.

Putin believes that the West treats Russia badly, not showing her due respect. According to the Kremlin, Russian values ​​are more closely linked to China and Iran than to the European Union. Russia’s attempts to present itself as an anti-colonial power, especially in Asia and Africa, are taken very seriously in the Kremlin. Russia believes that this is its future.

According to Figgis, this is a “short-sighted policy”. – Russia is more likely to become a vassal state, a gas station for China – sums up Figes in an interview for “Spiegel”.

Jacek Liberiaz / Polish editorial office of Deutsche Welle