Posted on 05/31/2023 5:45:26 AM PDT by dennisw
Japan was the first country to break its silence after the full-scale invasion of Ukraine last year. Tokyo said of the Kuril Islands that it was “completely unacceptable that the Northern Territories have yet to be returned since the Soviet Union’s illegal occupation of them 77 years ago”.
That annexation saw the expulsion of Japanese people from the southern islands, and since then, the countries have failed to reach a compromise. Talks broke down when Putin showed he was not willing to share lands but only to gain new ones.
Then China started drawing maps marking part of Siberia and the Russian Far East region as originally Chinese. Great areas of Chinese land were annexed by Russia in the 19th century. Unable to claim this territory back in a peaceful way, Beijing has pursued economic expansion around Baikal and has been actively purchasing and leasing lands near the border.
In Poland, there are narratives suggesting that Russia occupied the Kaliningrad region in 1945, and that Warsaw has the right to claim it. Turkey, Azerbaijan, Kazakhstan, and even Ukraine could also stake interests in vying for Russian lands. Russian fighters infiltrating the Belgorod region under the Ukrainian flag served as a reminder to Putin that others could also reclaim their “primordial territories”. Kyiv aims to restore its 1991 borders and end the war. Yet the prospect of exiled Russians on tanks turning Russian border regions into “national republics” is seen as a welcomed payback for Moscow’s deeds in the Donbas.
As Moscow pursues the expansion of its European borders, national autonomies in Russia and their exiled leaders envision the decolonization of Russia, dreaming of dividing it into 34 independent states. For now, national liberation movements are absent due to oppression and persecution within Russia.
(Excerpt) Read more at msn.com ...
When the Soviet Union fell apart, several regions of Russia declared their state sovereignty but were silenced.
These regions have constitutions stating their sovereignty as separate states, with power-sharing treaties governing their relationship with Moscow. These norms are “dormant”, but they can be activated as soon as the regime demonstrates its inability to keep the empire under control.
The Kremlin has well-founded fears of a possible cascade of sovereignties in Russia. The Russian economy relies on resource redistribution from the regions to Moscow. The prospect of gaining control over their own finances could prompt local elites to seek independence. The destruction of Chechnya showed other nations that were forcibly joined to Russia how Moscow handles “separatists”. Still, the Kremlin pushes the population of these regions to the edge, throwing their men into the battlefield in Ukraine as cannon fodder.
The poorest regions in Russia were affected by conscription the most. Anti-war rallies have taken place in Dagestan, Kalmykia and Buryatia, with the republics’ leaders speaking out against the conscription.
They feel they are treated as second-class citizens based on ethnicity compared to those residing in St. Petersburg or Moscow. The mounting number of caskets delivered from the front line to small towns and villages further fuels the flames. Once ignited, the liberation movement could sweep through numerous regions, leaving the regime with only those territories firmly aligned with the Russian narrative and unwilling to break free from imperial rule.
Fake phony Tsar Putin wanted a greater Russia. His scheme will backfire into making a diminished Russia. Chinese need to take a big bite out of the Rus eastern flanks.
A decolonized little Russia, a kingdom of Muscovy, is what the world needs
As long as Russian nukes can get past Western defenses (which they can easily do today), any country trying to dismember Russia will likely have a ‘bad day’, at least in my opinion.
But DREAMING can be fun!
🎵Dreamer, you know you are a dreamer🎵
🎵Well, can you put your hands in your head? Oh no!🎵
🎵I said, dreamer, you’re nothing but a dreamer🎵
🎵Well, can you put your hands in your head? Oh no!🎵
Russia's loss can easily be China's gain. Russia is a lesser threat than China.
Karma is bitch. Poland and Ukraine are in the process of reforming the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth, and Russia trembles. Russia grabbed a lot of land from its neighbors, and that could reverse if it collapses. It’s doubtful that Kaliningrad would prefer to remain in Russia rather than join Europe if given the chance.
Is this like America being conquered by Mexicans ?
an animal backed into a corner is going to fight back hard and use every weapon it has.
Art Bell material
“A decolonized little Russia, a kingdom of Muscovy, is what the world needs”
You can say the same about the USA and Washington DC. Although a “kingdom of DC” will not survive very long on it’s own. /spit
SHHHHEESH. Stop making sense, your going to upset a lot of people!
Russia is rebuilding its military-industrial complex.
The rubles are rolling.
It will Turkey’s gain as well, and the start of Ottoman Empire 2.0.
Don’t worry - Russia and China government propaganda say the exact same thing about the USA: the country is going to split up, Texas and Florida want independence, blacks are an oppressed and unhappy minority, cities are violent, drugs and sexual perversion are weakening any moral fiber in the country, Mexico wants the SW back, etc....
> Be careful what you wish for.
Russia’s loss can easily be China’s gain. Russia is a lesser threat than China. <
Well said. Back in 2003 Bush II told us how important it was to get rid of Saddam Hussein. No one considered that Saddam was a counterbalance to Iran.
So Saddam is gone. Iran is now unchecked, and more dangerous than before.
Same thing with the Russia/China situation.
The Globalists certainly seem to be making it happen
yep
Yep. The next time Russia collapses it will be the last time it collapses. They don’t call Russia the “Prison of Nations” for nothing.
Taiwan now has more tanks, troops and missiles than Russia. Why would China invade Taiwan when it can acquire much more territory by reclaiming its lost territories from Russia?
Putin crossed the military-conquest-for-national-expansion line first. He reaps what he sowed.
I could make the case for the US itself coming apart during the upcoming decades just as easily as they speculate Russia coming apart.
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.