A senior Vladimir Putin ally has warned NATO that Russia’s conquest of Ukraine is just the first step in its goal to reassert control over its former empire and reconstitute the Soviet Union.
Moscow appears to be increasingly confident of victory in Ukraine, as Kyiv’s forces struggle to contain Russian advances.
Outnumbered and outgunned, Ukraine‘s forces are conceding territory in the east at an alarming rate, allowing Putin’s army to close in on the strategically vital city of Pokrovsk.
Pokrovsk is an important logistical and transport hub and its capture would be a massive blow for Ukraine‘s army.
Western military experts fear it is only a matter of time before the city falls, a scenario that could lead to the entire collapse of Ukraine‘s eastern frontlines.
And in a sign that the Kremlin is increasingly bullish about victory, a former Russian commander hinted that Putin’s goals may be much more ambitious than capturing Ukraine.
Lieutenant General Andrei Gurulev is a Russian MP and a former Southern Military District (SMD) Commander.
Appearing recently on a discussion programme hosted by Vladimir Solovyov on state TV, the retired general suggested that only the complete restoration of Russia‘s historic lands would now satisfy Putin.
He hinted that this would involve reconquering Finland and the Baltic states – all of which are NATO countries.
“Still what is victory for us,” he said. “For me as a military man, it’s undoubtedly denazification and demilitarisation.
“Only it applies to when the war started. And now for us it has practically become another patriotic war.
“This is the liberation of our historically Russian territory. This is the liberation of our historically Russian cities. This is the fulfilment of those tasks that the president set in December 2021. Now how to accomplish it?
“100 percent this means getting to the western borders of Ukraine. But there also must be a grey zone there. That is NATO must roll back on its own. But what if it doesn’t want to roll back on its own?”
He continued: “Well, let’s look at things realistically as they really are. So what do we have to do to have the grey zone? We have to create it.
“But the problems are broader. Do all of you remember the map of the Soviet Union? Do we all remember the border alongside the Arctic, how it used to be? It was going from the North Pole and also down. And today?
“This is the second most serious problem that exists today. The border needs to be restored.
“And when I am told that the next provocations will be from Finland and the Baltics – it is possible.”
The Baltic states and Finland were historically part of the Russian empire under the Romanovs.
While the Baltics enjoyed a brief period of independence following the Russian Revolution, they were eventually consumed by the Soviet Union. Finland was able to achieve and subsequently retain its independence in 1917, although it had to cede 11 percent of its territory following the winter war in 1939-40.