Putin’s speech at the end of September marked Russia’s annexation of Ukrainian provinces and laid bare the real target of his war in Ukraine: the post-Cold War world led by the United States and its allies. In a rambling speech that stretched from Russia's role in protecting the communities of Eastern Ukraine to criticising the West and describing it as “satanic”, Putin displayed a world view forged by his experiences as a KGB officer during the collapse of the Soviet Union and as a rising political force in the decades after.
On the day of the invasion in February, Putin stated that he was responding to pleas made by the leaders of Russian backed separatist regions of eastern Ukraine, whilst accusing Ukrainian troops of ethnic cleansing in these regions, though there has been no proof of this. Putin’s motives for the invasion also linked to the eastward expansion of NATO, which Ukraine had been interested in being a part of. Initially, it was assumed the invasion was caused in an attempt to rectify these situations and show Russia’s dislike for NATO’s expansion. However, his recent speech has revealed the truth behind the attack, stating: “Russia is the head of many eastern European countries”, “countries that are like Russia and its society should be brought back into the fold even if they are not in the Soviet Union”. In reality, Putin is striving to reunite countries with former Soviet states as he feels it is his duty to bring together people with these similar cultures, religions and languages and has always openly vocalised that he believes Gorbachev’s dissolution of the Soviet Union was the biggest mistake made in Soviet history. His aim to rebuild the Soviet sphere, though not necessarily into a new Soviet Union, is already being put into action with the annexation of Ukrainian areas, which he is trying to turn into independent states.
NATO played a huge role in the start of the initial conflict between Ukraine and Russia in 2014 because, as mentioned before, Ukraine was looking to become a member. He described the expansion of NATO to the east as the “red line” and Ukraine’s interest meant the West had crossed the line. However, Putin has shifted away his blame from NATO to the West as a whole. NATO was founded during the Cold War to put in place agreements in order to prevent the two superpowers from enticing countries within the others' sphere of influence into NATO or the Warsaw Pact. Ukraine’s inclination to attempt to join NATO was seen as a confrontation of these outdated agreements which Putin disliked. When he first came to power 1999, he stated in an interview that he would be open to working with NATO and since Russia is part of Europe, he would be happy for NATO to grow. He understood that Russia would never join NATO as there could never be two major superpowers in it, but did not show any resentment. This is a major contrast to his views on NATO and the West now, as he sees NATO as propelling the intentions of Western nations by infringing on the East and provoking conflict.
Another main reason for the invasion was to balance out the unipolar world in which we now live in. Putin believes that the USA has too much unchecked power and wishes to return to the era of a bipolar world, where Russia was the country that kept the USA "in line". He showed his discontent with the actions of Western countries, going as far as to call them "pure satanism" as he claims that they perpetuate a cycle of neo-colonialism, always work for their own gain and aim to rule with “exploitation” and by “extraction” from lower income countries. The USA is at the top of the list as he declares that countries “surrender their sovereignty to the US", once again emphasising his world view and discontent with the global dominance the USA has. “The unipolar world is inherently anti-democratic and unfree; it is false and hypocritical through and through”, this again highlights his push towards a bipolar world in which the USA would be unable to hold the power and influence it currently does.
Additionally, he attacks Western media and culture by stating that “the truth has been drowned…lying like Goebbels”, this quote is controversial considering Putin’s ban on many media stations and continual spread of Kremlin run propaganda. His reference to the Nazi Propoganda leader illustrates his belief that the West is painting a picture full of lies and deceit as they paint Russia as the bad guy, similar tactics used by Goebbels to create pro-Nazi propaganda. He believes the West is creating mass misinformation to villanise Russia and its people to ascertain power. He did not stop there, going as far as to criticise many Western countries acceptance of gay rights and of gender fluidity: “This is all unacceptable to us”, he stated in reference to gay marriage, reassignment surgery and the existence of more than two genders. Not only does he wish to be an equal to the USA and their power, but he also disagrees with their ideals and freedom they allow to their citizens as he preaches homophobia.
Putin also placed heavy blame on the West for many events, such as the recent destruction of the Nord Stream international pipelines and added that “it is clear to everyone who benefits from this”, pointing his finger in the direction of the USA. His animosity can be traced back to his days as a young KGB officer in Germany during the late 1980’s. He was in Berlin when the wall was torn down, a pivotal moment for him as he frantically tried to burn documents and feared for the safety of himself and other KGB workers. He made a desperate plea to Moscow asking for assistance, but the only response was “Moscow is silent”. These words signified to him the loss of Soviet power and the unification of Germany, something which filled him with dread as it made the German life he had built no longer viable. This may also be one of the reasons for his dislike of Gorbachev and his government as during the uprisings in 1989, “nobody lifted a finger to protect them”. The collapse of the Soviet Union in Germany signified the end of the era, which he had enjoyed working and growing up in and linked it to Gorbachev’s close relationship with the US president at the time, Ronald Reagan, again placing the blame on the USA. In his recent speech he conveyed how he feels that the “West continued and continues looking for another chance to strike a blow at us, to weaken and break up Russia”. He hinted that he believes that the West is jealous of Russia’s expansive land and the wealth produced from its natural resources. This hatred towards the West seemed to be unending as he purely blamed them for pushing NATO onto Eastern countries at the start of the war and now claims they are trying to break down the Russian state and strip it of its power.
Finally, we see Putin’s claim over various provinces of Ukraine, he states that “the people living in Lugansk and Donetsk, in Kherson and Zaporozhe have become our citizens, forever”. This statement is challenged by the advances seen by Ukrainian military into some of these regions as it regains ground and pushes Russian soldiers back onto their own land. Putin also again blames the West as he speaks to “the Kiev authorities and their true handlers in the West”, insinuating that the Ukrainian government is being manipulated by the West. Despite his lack of control over some of these provinces Putin still holds a lot of international power as seen by his recent agreement with OPEC to cut oil production to maintain high prices internationally. This places a huge strain on many European countries who rely on Russia for oil but now due to the war and sanctions have had to try and find alternatives elsewhere, but the high prices are making this difficult. Hence why many countries have seen the rise in electricity bills and why some countries are attempting to limit public usage of electricity. The question is what does the future hold for this war? As Ukrainian advances continue, is there a possibility for the use of nuclear weapons if Putin wishes to ensure his end goal is achieved? He has threatened to use nuclear weapons if it should come to that but it is unknown what the trigger to make him use nuclear arsenal will be.
In conclusion, Putin’s most recent speech has revealed his true, although never truly concealed, motives behind the invasion in February, admitting it was not only about Ukraine but also about helping to free and unite those with similar Russian heritage and culture. He also aims to make Russia the second global power to check the USA, balancing its unipolar influence. By looking at his past we are able to explain his behaviour towards the West and his desire to reunite the Soviet Union. Politicians must use this knowledge to consider the lengths to which he will go to achieve his plans as the passion with which he speaks highlights his determination.
Sources:
https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2022/9/30/russia-ukraine-war-putins-annexation-speech-what-did-he-say
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