A Russian state TV host said that his country is “rediscovering” its true purpose to again be an expansionist empire.
“I am a part of an empire-making nation. That made the biggest empire in existence to date,” the host, Sergey Mardan, said on his show, “Mardan,” following Russian President Vladimir Putin’s signing of a law on Wednesday creating the “Day of Unification.”
Putin established the Day of Unification on Sept. 30 to celebrate Moscow’s illegal annexation of the Donetsk, Luhansk, Zaporizhzhia and Kherson Regions of Ukraine.
“Everyone understands that this list is incomplete. For now, Russia doesn’t dare to define what it really has in mind and what it’s really all about,” Mardan said.
In an interview with Russia-1, Russian General Andrey Mordvichev had made similar comments, saying that the full-scale invasion of Ukraine is just a “stepping stone” to a wider conflict with Europe.
“The war will persist for an extended period. Discussing specific dates doesn't make sense... When it comes to Eastern Europe and what needs to be done, it will certainly require more time,” the general said.
Russia continues to call its full-scale invasion of Ukraine a “special military operation” to rid Ukraine of so-called “Nazis.” However, Moscow is simply being cautious with its terminology, Mardan said.
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“You can use the most watered-down, meaningless or meaningful definitions,” Mardan said. “You can call it denazification or demilitarization. Call it whatever you want! Everyone knows what it really means.”
Mardan said that while the “Day of Unification” holiday will be frightening for other nations, it will be celebrated by Russians.
“Pointless existence is the worst existential horror. There are some nations whose existence is pointless,” he said.
Mardan said that for him and other Russians, it’s strange to hear the Western media report that Putin wishes to restore the Soviet Union to its former glory when the goal is much larger.
“For anyone who understands the retrospective of our national consciousness for the last 1,000 years. For us, the restoration of the USSR sounds a bit funny. What Soviet Union? Wake up!”
“We can rewind it by 800 years more,” Mardan said – referring to a time when the modern nations of Ukraine, Belarus, Lithuania, Estonia, Finland, Poland, and Georgia were part of the Russian Empire – and Russia was on a seemingly continuous path of expansion.
The host’s comments come in the wake of a report by a United Nations investigative team, which found that Russian state media rhetoric could amount to incitement of genocide.
Among the more recent of the regularly inflammatory statements coming out of Russian propaganda, was one by political commentator Elena Markosyan on Sept. 2:
“Every [Ukrainian] face is a pig snout. Every action is a joke. It resulted in the country’s degradation. I have no hatred for these people. I have no pity for them either. I look at it as a doctor. A doctor has to cure a sickness,” she said.
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Comments (6)
Mardan needs to learn some history. 800 years ago, before it was destroyed by the Mongol invasion, the Grand Duchy of Kiev was independent. Christianity and writing had spread from there, first North to Novgorod, then East to the area round Moscow. Ukraine civilised Muscovy/Russia. You would think the Russians would be grateful, but no. Ukraine had previously been destroyed by the Huns. The country has been destroyed twice by invasion from the East; we must not let it happen again.
800 years ago there was no Russian empire. Moscow didn't become a grand duchy until the 1260's, under Daniel, youngest son of Alexander Nevsky, Grand Duke of Novgorod. Putin would like us to believe that, when Tsar Peter "the great" conquered Estonia and much of Latvia, he was recovering anciently Russian territory. This is completely false. Although Alexander Nevsky drove out the German Teutonic Knights in the battle on the ice of Lake Peipus (1242). This established the Western boundary of Russian territory, but Novgorod never controlled the area of modern Estonia and Latvia, let alone Lithuania, which was fiercely independent.
Ukraine may not defeat Russia in the next year or two BUT what Russia has accomplished is bringing all the previous Russia countries together for the kill shot
OTT rhetoric by Russian media propaganda spokesman. But the war will probably end in stalemate with both sides having to concede some of their red lines. That's because the war is bankrupting both Russia and its enemy. Ukraine has shown that Crimea is no longer a Russian safe haven. Possible solution is for Ukraine to recover it pre-2014 borders but with Crimes becoming independent and policed by UN troops. That would allow the Russia fleet access to Sebastopol warm waters. If Crimea remained part of Ukraine they would always be looking over their shoulder for next incursion.
russia must be decommunized...IF not...the #CoronaViRuss will spread throughout all of Eastern and Central Europe...again.
When Putin’s head is handed to Russia on a plate, that is when the television commentators will see the point of it all.
The third world countries believe that Ukrain is a threat to worlds stability, as Ukrains existence will invite NATO to Russian borders and invites a third world war according to Zelensk's Nazi attitude, which is a threat to existence of this world.
@Anil, How are things in the Kremlin Vlad?
@Anil,
@Anil, NATO is already on Russia's Border. Finland most recently but also Latvia, Estonia, Poland and Lithuania. Ukraine would have been willing to stay neutral, before the invasion, but now, you can be sure that Ukraine will be part of NATO, after they crush what is left of the Russian Army.