“You Westerners lack a sense of history.” So the Deputy Speaker of the Russian Duma Pyotr Tolstoy, great-grandson of the great writer, deputy chairman of the Duma and supporter of the hardest line against Kiev in an interview with Corriere della Sera. “It is enough to look at the conflicts of the past centuries between Russia and Europe to understand,” says the ultranationalist leader. “In the 19th century we were in Paris, in the 20th century in Berlin. Therefore, the only point of mediation is our flag over Kiev. Then we’ll see”.
As for Russian difficulties in the field, “this is a film that the West is making – says Tolstoy – In any war there are periods of victories, moments of retreat and redeployment of forces before winter. The truth is that we are only at the beginning. But we will succeed in annihilating the enemy, with our strategy, which seems to me effective and legitimate. Breaking down all its infrastructure, we will send Ukraine back to the eighteenth century“.
The withdrawal from Kherson, Tolstoy continues, “was not a triumph of Ukraine, as it was presented, but our tactic to gather strength and not allow excessive casualties. But according to the Russian Constitution, Kherson is part of the Russian Federation and not I doubt it will be again, like many other cities in the former Ukraine. When this is all over, I believe a different international security system will be born. Western myths about ultimate victory in the Cold War and NATO expansion will be a thing of the past. I’m pretty sure that the next generation of politicians will decide the future arrangements. All of Europe’s current leaders will be sidelinedafter their position in the conflict has brought enormous economic degradation to their countries”.
