Russia is attacking Ukraine, but what other expansion plans does Moscow have? Possible goals are discussed aggressively on state TV.
Frankfurt - The world has known that Russia is serious about its expansion policy since February 2022 at the latest. The war in Ukraine has now been going on for over two years, and other countries also perceive Moscow's ambitions to expand territory as all too real. In the Republic of Moldova, for example, there are concrete fears that the Kremlin's armies could strike there next. Finland's accession to NATO also probably arose from the aggression of its neighboring country Russia.
Does Russia want to conquer US territories? Putin's propagandists discuss on TV
Vladimir Putin has repeatedly emphasized that he is striving for a “Greater Russia” in the style of the Tsarist Empire. The fact that people in Russia are dreaming of even more spectacular expansions than in Europe was recently made clear in a program on Russian state television. There, Russian political scientist Sergei Mikheyev suggested expanding the “empire” to include three American states. There were similar discussions recently about attacks on the USA and even Portugal.
An excerpt of the statements is circulating on social media. Anton Gerashchenko, former adviser to the Interior Minister of Ukraine, shared the video. In it, Mikheyev mentioned the territory he would like to see taken over by Russia. These include the westernmost US states – and also two NATO states in Europe.
“Poland and Finland stink”: Russian propagandist wants to “clean up” NATO countries
“I want the Russian Empire with Alaska, Hawaii, California, Finland and Poland,” he said and added. “Although Poland and Finland stink so much, I'm honestly not sure. We will clean them.” The moderator tried to weaken the statement: “Yes, but here too, wishful thinking is one thing and actual politics is another.”
Gerashchenko, on the other hand, does not want to dismiss the scenario as a fantasy. “Russian propagandists dream of the new world order,” he wrote. “And you know what? They are serious.” Alaska was once part of Russia and was colonized by Moscow. But in 1867 the Americans bought it from the Russians. In another post, also translated by Gerashchenko, Russian lawmaker Sergei Mironov suggested that U.S. control was weakening and alluded to Alaska.
Putin has already spoken about Alaska
Putin had been more defensive about Alaska: During a question-and-answer session in 2014, Russian President Vladimir Putin, when pressed for an answer by a voter, said he would "not get upset about it." “Why do you need Alaska?” Putin asked. However, in January, the Russian leader signed a decree allocating funds for the search, registration and legal protection of Russian property abroad. This included property in the former territories of the Russian Empire and the Soviet Union, including Alaska. There have already been calls for atomic bombs on Alaska on Russian state TV.
(cgsc)