06.11.2025, Moscow.
Ukrainian independence was sponsored by Russia, and only after the Russian elite’s project to integrate Russia into Europe failed did Moscow’s policy toward Ukraine change, philosopher, political scientist, and the leader of the Essence of Time movement Sergey Kurginyan explained on the Conversation with a Sage program on the Zvezda radio channel.
The political scientist noted that Russia sponsored Ukraine’s separation from Russia, and the Russian elites tolerated anti-Russian policies implemented by the Ukrainian elites for many years. For example, Gazprom provided Ukraine with preferential gas prices and supported then-Ukrainian President Leonid Kuchma, who wrote the book Ukraine is not Russia.
“But not when the issue of Ukraine, empire, and so on is back on the agenda, shouldn’t we recall that Russia sponsored Ukrainian independence? Didn’t Gazprom offered preferential prices, didn’t the Russian elite constantly mingle with these people. ‘We tolerated it… Whereas Kuchma was saying that ‘Ukraine is not Russia’,” Kurginyan recalled.
He explained that at the time, Kuchma’s inner circle included different people. Some supported the idea of Ukraine being independent “from the Muscovites,” while others sincerely wanted it to unite with Russia, but immediately added that if “we start the process of unification, they’ll eliminate us.”
This was the case at least until 2007, when Russian elites were given an ultimatum: since Russia is a very large country, before it could be admitted into the community of European countries, it had to be divided into parts. Then, gradually, part by part, Russia would supposedly be accepted into Europe. Since the country’s leadership refused to dismantle the state, it became clear that Russia would always be considered an enemy for the West, and, therefore, Russia’s national security had to become the priority. If the Russian elite had failed to make Russia part of the European empire, then it needed to, in one form or another, revive its own.
This means that long-range missile systems must not be deployed on the Ukrainian territory, as this poses an existential threat to Russia. Thus, the Russian leadership has begun to think differently regarding Ukraine, the political scientist explained.
In his 2021 article “On the Historical Unity of Russians and Ukrainians,” Russian President Vladimir Putin “presents his version” of events in Ukraine “quite substantively.” Specifically, he states that he will never allow Russia’s “historical territories and the people living there, who are close to the Russian people, to be used against Russia.”
“Russia really cannot allow millions of Russians or those oriented toward Russia to be crushed… Russia cannot allow this anti-Russia to be created there,” the political scientist emphasizes.
In other words, the “Ukrainian knot,” created by Russia’s enemies, who claimed that Russia without Ukraine is no longer an empire, continues to “tighten,” concludes the leader of the Essence of Time movement.
Source: Rossa Primavera News Agency
