Russia is threatening to annex an EU country, as Vladimir Putin’s mouthpiece brazenly admitted to wanting to reconstitute his country’s empire.
Putin was sworn in for another six-year term as President of Russia on Tuesday (May 7). At a short Kremlin ceremony, the Russian tyrant vowed to defend his country and protect its citizens against a hostile West.
He told attendees that Moscow must be strong and respected by its foes, demanding that his nation be treated as an equal among superpowers.
As part of his drive for respect, Putin appears to be hell-bent on restoring Russia to its former imperial glory.
In recent months, there have been hints that the Kremlin is planning an invasion of Kazakhstan, while fears are growing of a possible conflict with Armenia.
Both countries were part of the Russian empire and then the Soviet one, before becoming independent following the break-up of the USSR in 1991.
Now it seems another former colony is firmly in the crosshairs of the Kremlin, as Russia dreams once again of imperial conquest.
In a TV discussion, Kremlin propagandist Vladimir Solovyov claimed Finns were desperate to rejoin Russia, notably using the word “empire” on numerous occasions.
The Putin hack said: “I always felt the Finns wanted to go back to the Russian empire. I had this feeling that they are like abandoned people – constantly trying to draw attention to themselves somehow.
“The dream of the Russian empire is pounding hard in the heart of the Finnish fisherman. We’ll help the Finnish fisherman if he acts that crazy.”
Finland fought for many years to achieve independence from the Russian empire, eventually being granted its freedom by a grateful Vladimir Lenin in 1917.
The country was invaded by Josef Stalin in November 1939 in what became known as the Winter War.
Despite being massively outnumbered, the Finns held on for three months before signing a peace treaty in January 1940, ceding 11 percent of their territory to Stalin.
Finland became a full member of NATO last year in response to Putin’s invasion of Ukraine – a move that infuriated Moscow.