Putin spokeswoman accuses West of double standards over claims of Russia’s ‘land grabbing’

Maria Zakharova, the spokeswoman for Vladimir Putin in the Kremlin, reminded western leaders of some historical facts about their own ‘redrawing of borders’.

Maria Zakharova, spokeswoman for the Kremlin and Vladimir Putin, today, Saturday, October 1, accused the West of double standards over their accusations of Russia’s ‘land grabbing’ in Ukraine. Posting on her Telegram channel, she pointed out some historical facts.

Zakharova wrote: “The arguments of the West that Russia has decided to ‘redraw the map of Europe’ amuse me. It is funny that this thesis is being used in Germany, which has its present borders solely because they were ‘redrawn’ in the late 1980s. Let me remind you of Chancellor Willy Brandt’s main political slogan: Jetzt wächst zusammen, was zusammengehört (‘Now unite what is one’)”.

“In the ’80s, we understood the Germans and went along with their aspirations. It was our goodwill, despite the fact that German fascism destroyed half of our country and exterminated more than 25 million of our citizens. And it is not for Berlin to stutter about ‘redrawing’ the borders – their historical experience is scary to recall, but we should not forget it either”.

“It is ridiculous that Eastern European countries, many of which became sovereign states solely thanks to the ‘redrawing’ of borders in recent decades, are making this thesis. Enjoying the privileges they received and forgetting about morality and responsibility”

“These capitals did not want to know how the people who sacrificed so much for Europe in the 20th century felt and received their own division for it. They all didn’t care about it. We didn’t. It is funny that this position is tied to the situation in Ukraine, which for the first time in history gained statehood precisely by ‘redrawing’ its borders. The first time was in 1918. And then 70 years later”.

“It’s funny to hear about the ‘redrawing’ of borders from across the ocean. After the NATO bombing of Yugoslavia, after supporting the ‘redrawing’ of Serbia and the American adventure with the ‘independence’ of Kosovo”

“They should make up their minds once and for all: ‘redrawing’ borders is a good thing or a bad thing. If they start saying that ‘everything depends on the context’ then it is hard to find a better ‘context’ than the constant oppression of national minorities on linguistic and ethnic grounds, which ended in eight years of terror”.

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