The Russian leader was so carried away by history that he attacked Ukraine.
Russian President Vladimir Putin has long been obsessed with Ukrainian history. Back in 2008, he directly stated his vision of history to then-US Ambassador William Burns. This is stated in the material of The Wall Street Journal.
The publication notes that even then Putin, in a private conversation, called Ukraine a “fake country,” and it was this argument that the Russian leader made in 2014, when his troops occupied Crimea, and returned to it now, during a full-scale war.
“The country, which Putin constantly calls “artificial,” has been fiercely resisting Moscow’s attempts to end its independence for almost two years by returning half of the temporarily occupied territories,” the media writes.
The authors of the article also suggest that Putin spent a large amount of time reading historical texts during the Covid-19 pandemic, “and admitting that the name “Ukraine” has been used for centuries is taboo in Russia.”
“Although such a fixation on events centuries ago may seem strange, the question of Ukrainian identity is key to the main myth of Russia, and, consequently, to its current politics,” the journalists explain.
Reaction to Putin’s words about “artificial Ukraine”
In response to Putin’s words about “historical lands,” ex-President of Mongolia Tsakhiagiin Elbegdorj took out his map with the historical lands of this country. It can be seen that the modern territory of Russia was part of the Mongol Empire for several centuries.
In turn, former British Prime Minister Boris Johnson named the true purpose of Putin’s scandalous interview with Tucker Carlson. According to the politician, “we should not succumb to this lie, which is aimed at achieving success in Ukraine.”
