Putin finally admits operation in Ukraine is seizure of territory, this is what it says

MOSCOW, KOMPAS.com – Russian President Vladimir Putin finally admitted indirectly that special military operations in Ukraine is the seizure of territory.

Vladimir Putin’s admiration on Tsar Pyotr the Great may have been widely known by the general public, but now he also seemed to see himself as “The Great.”

Putin openly compares himself to the Russian tsar, likens the invasion of Ukraine to the expansionist actions of Peter some three centuries ago, and makes the most emphatic admission so far that the wars he is waging are territorial grabs.

Read also: Why Peter the Great, 18th Century Russian Tsar, Was Putin’s Role Model

Putin’s ambition to build an empire bodes badly for Ukraine and irritated other neighbors, including Estonia, which called his comments “completely unacceptable”.

The comment was made by Russian president while meeting young scientists and entrepreneurs.

Before talking about information technology and technology development, Putin talks about politics and power, what he sees as a new battle for geopolitical dominance.

In the speech, Putin told the audience that Peter the Great was his role model.

“You might think he was at war with the Swedes, taking their land,” Putin said, referring to the Northern Wars waged by Tsar Peter in the mid-18th century in an attempt to build a new Russian Empire.

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“But he took nothing. He took it back!” he said, arguing that the Slavs had lived in the region for centuries.

“It seems [misi] it has fallen into our hands too, to recapture and strengthen,” Putin concluded, with a subtle grin that made it clear he was referring to Ukraine and his goals there.

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