The Kremlin-appointed head of the Zaporizhzhia region has openly said Russia should invade and occupy the Baltic States in order restore the Russian empire to its borders before the Revolution in 1917.
In an interview with RIA Novosti filmed last month that went largely unnoticed at the time but has recently circulated widely on social media, Yevgeny Balitsky said: “When the Russian Empire faltered after the Bolshevik coup and took a different developmental path, it lost many of its territories.
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“I’m not just referring to the land; this includes Warsaw, Helsinki, Revel, Liepaja, and the entire Baltic States.”
Balitsky then went on to describe exactly Russia should correct this, adding: “The fact that they have now been made into a herd of wordless, trembling creatures, then we must correct this.
“And we will correct this by the power of Russian weapons... to return our people, our subjects. So that the whole world does not turn into the Sodom and Gomorrah that is happening in Europe now.”
The head of the Russian occupation administration of Zaporizhia, Yevgeny Balitsky, said that Russia’s goal is to occupy not only Ukraine, but also the Baltic countries, Poland and Finland. Because these states are "the historical lands of Russia". pic.twitter.com/8y1jVORMac
— Денис Казанський (@den_kazansky) October 3, 2023
Balitsky’s provocative remarks come amid a growing wave of propaganda in the Russian Federation advocating for the re-establishment of not only the USSR but the Russian Empire.
Balitsky, a former member of the Ukrainian parliament, became involved with Russian authorities in the city of Melitopol following the beginning of the full-scale invasion.
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He endorsed Galina Danilchenko’s appointment as mayor of Melitopol, a move made after the legitimate mayor was abducted.
On April 9, 2022, Yevgeny Balitsky was chosen by Russian occupiers to serve as the so-called governor of Ukraine’s Zaporizhzhia Region. In this role, he advocated for the annexation of the region by the Russian Federation.
His comments echo those made by other Russian officials – a newly-promoted Russian general has said the full-scale invasion of Ukraine is just a “stepping stone” to a wider conflict with Europe.
Lieutenant General Andrey Mordvichev was promoted to the rank of Colonel-General by President Putin. Mordvichev was already head of the Central Military District and the Russian Central Group of Forces in Ukraine.
In an interview on Moscow's state-run Russia-1 channel, which was filmed in July but released to coincide with his promotion, Mordvichev expressed his belief that Putin's military actions will continue for a long time and may even expand further in the future.
💬 This war will last for a long time, because we still need to liberate Eastern Europe, says Russian general and war criminal Andrei Mordvichev.
— Winston the Cat (@WinstonCatNews) September 9, 2023
The interview was recorded at the end of July this year and Mordvichev assumed that the Ukrainian counteroffensive would slow down by… pic.twitter.com/MB9m1YYcLV
“The war will persist for an extended period. Discussing specific dates doesn't make sense... When it comes to Eastern Europe and what needs to be done, it will certainly require more time,” he said.
The interviewer then asks: “Ukraine is only a stepping stone?”
“Yes, you're correct. This is only the beginning. I believe that the proponents of this war won't stop there,” he replies.
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