The speech given by President Vladimir Putin last night frightens the world. Have we woken up to a new Europe? Putin wants Russians to believe that it is a matter of life and death for the entire Russian people.
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“For our country, this is ultimately about life and death, about our historical future as a people,” said President Vladimir Putin.
The night’s speech to Putin started at 04.00 Norwegian time. Throughout the morning, it was shown again and again on the Kremlin-controlled television stations.
Now the message is being hammered out to Russians in all media.
Putin described the war he started last night as a question of the existence of the entire Russian people.
– We want to de-Nazify Ukraine
Putin described the war as a “Donbass operation”, and justified the attack by asking the rebel republics for help.
“The goal is to protect people who have been subjected to abuse and genocide by the Kyiv regime for eight years,” Putin said.
But he made no secret of the fact that the goal of the war goes much further than that.
– We will also fight for a demilitarization and de-Nazification of Ukraine, he added.
– As well as bring to justice those who have committed countless, bloody crimes against civilians, including citizens of the Russian Federation.
On the other hand, Putin said Russia would not occupy Ukrainian territory. But at the same time, he urged the entire Ukrainian army to capitulate.
“I ask you to immediately lay down your arms and go home,” Putin said.
– Let me explain what that means. Military personnel of the Ukrainian army who do this are free to leave the combat zone and return to their families.
–Putin drew lines for the Great Patriotic War
In tonight’s speech, Putin justified his attack on Ukraine by drawing parallels to the Nazis’ attack on the Soviet Union.
The Russians call World War II, in which 20-27 million Soviet citizens lost their lives, the “Great Patriotic War,” or the “Great Patriotic War.”
According to Putin, the Soviet Union did everything possible to prevent a war. He did not mention in a word Stalin’s Ribbentrop Pact with Hitler, or that the Soviet Union, together with Germany, attacked Poland.
“The Soviet Union did everything possible to prevent or postpone the war,” Putin said.
– We will not make such a mistake for the second time.
This is how Putin sees the world and the West
Putin once again gave a historical lesson, in which he presented his alternative view of history and the world.
He referred to the Kosovo war, and NATO’s attacks on Serbia, the wars in Iraq, Libya and Syria. In the eyes of the Kremlin, it shows that the West does not care about law and order, and that we live in a time for the strong to do what he wants.
“Practically everywhere, in many regions of the world, where the West establishes its order, the result is bloody, deep wounds, international terrorism and extremism,” Putin said.
The West, NATO and the United States were described as lying and immoral.
“The whole so-called Western bloc, founded by the United States in its own image and likeness, all this is an empire of lies,” Putin said.
In his speech on Monday recognizing the rebel republics, Putin also spent a lot of time giving his version of history to justify the Kremlin’s actions.
–NATO, Nazis and «genocide»
– While NATO is expanding eastwards, the situation in our country is getting worse and more dangerous every year. In recent days, NATO leadership has spoken openly about the need to accelerate the deployment of the Alliance’s infrastructure to Russia’s borders.
Putin also claimed that Ukraine would attack Russia, even though the Ukrainians are nowhere near having the same military forces that Putin controls.
“The leading NATO countries, in order to achieve their goals, support extreme nationalists and neo-Nazis in Ukraine in every way,” Putin said.
“Of course, they will go to Crimea, just like in the Donbas, with a war to kill, just as gangs of Ukrainian nationalists, Hitler’s accomplices, killed defenseless people in the Great Patriotic War,” Putin said.
Putin described the annexation of Crimea, and Russia’s participation in the war in Syria, as part of the same struggle.
– The same thing is happening now. You and I simply have no choice but to defend Russia, our people. Circumstances require us to act decisively and immediately. The People’s Republics of the Donbas have asked Russia for help.
Claiming war was inevitable
Putin claimed last night that a war was inevitable. It had to happen, the Russian president thought.
– Everything that has happened, and an analysis of the information we receive, shows that Russia’s clash with these forces is inevitable. It’s just a matter of time. They get ready and wait for the right time. Now they also claim to have nuclear weapons. We will not allow that, Putin said.
The night’s invasion also arouses fear in countries such as Kazakhstan, Uzbekistan, Georgia and other former countries in the Soviet Union. Putin tried to reassure them.
“We respect, and will continue to respect, all new founding nations in the post-Soviet sphere,” Putin said.
– But Russia can not feel safe, develop and exist with a constant threat growing in the territory of modern Ukraine.
An English version of the full speech is available at Kremlin website.
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