Can it ever confess?
Friday, September 19
During the Perestroika period of the late eighties of the last century the restoration of Georgia’s independence was revisited. Speculation arose that the Soviet Union might admit to its occupation and annexation of Georgia in 1921 and confess that they were illegal. This action would then pave the way for legal recognition of Georgia’s independence.
Official documents advising Moscow that it should do this were sent to the Kremlin but in vain. It has now become clear why it did not respond. An entity can and will confess if he/shi/it is prepared not to repeat the sin again. Russia is not this sort of being. It never confesses and continues to commit the same kind of brutal sins again and again.
Georgia has been the victim of Moscow’s aggression ever since the collapse of the USSR. Unfortunately this aggression will probably last until the heir to the Evil Empire destroys itself. The signs of this self-destruction however are evident. Support for separatism in Georgia will sooner or later backfire, creating a parade of declarations of independence from multiple ethnic entities within Russia itself.
This history was worth recalling against the background of the resolution adopted by the US Senate on September 16 and the response of Russian politicians to it. The Senate resolution asks Russia to admit to the occupation of Baltic countries Lithuania, Latvia and Estonia resulting from the illegal Molotov-Ribbentrop pact. The resolution is dedicated to the 90th anniversary of Latvia’s Declaration of Independence. It highlights that the USA never recognized this occupation. Georgia was a lot more unlucky than the Baltic republics. It also declared its independence in 1918 but just three years later the Soviet Red Army occupied it, under the pretext of helping Borchalo region rebels. So Georgia became one of the Soviet Republics. So-called South Ossetia was also artificially created as a separate entity at that time and remained such for about 70 years.
The Senate resolution drew an immediate response from Russian politicians. Andrey Klimov , the Duma’s Foreign Relations Committee chairman, said that the Soviet Union and Russia are two separate states, Russia was under similar oppression to the Baltic Countries and Georgia and was also occupied by the USSR. Let us follow Klimov’s ridiculous logic. He states that the leader of the Soviet state was a Georgian –Stalin. “Let Georgians apologize for Jugashvili (Stalin), Beria, Orjonikidze and the others” says Klimov, “aggressive Georgians.” Yes, these people were Georgians. But they were leaders of Bolshevik Russia and all were promoting Russian interests not Georgian.
Today Russia has a selective approach to its history. Moscow admires the Soviet national anthem, keeps Lenin on public display in Red Square and attributes to itself the “Great Victories” of Stalin in World War Two, but does not want to answer for the sins of that Evil Empire. Russia’s first President, Yeltsin, once stated that Russia suffered as much if not more from Soviet rule as other Republics. This might be true, but Bolshevik Russia occupied and annexed other countries forcibly.
Today the Russian aggression is led by ethnic Russians. Does this alter the fact of the occupation? Moscow does not want to confess its sins because it is preparing to commit more crimes like the ones we have seen here if the civilized world does not tame the monster in time.
Official documents advising Moscow that it should do this were sent to the Kremlin but in vain. It has now become clear why it did not respond. An entity can and will confess if he/shi/it is prepared not to repeat the sin again. Russia is not this sort of being. It never confesses and continues to commit the same kind of brutal sins again and again.
Georgia has been the victim of Moscow’s aggression ever since the collapse of the USSR. Unfortunately this aggression will probably last until the heir to the Evil Empire destroys itself. The signs of this self-destruction however are evident. Support for separatism in Georgia will sooner or later backfire, creating a parade of declarations of independence from multiple ethnic entities within Russia itself.
This history was worth recalling against the background of the resolution adopted by the US Senate on September 16 and the response of Russian politicians to it. The Senate resolution asks Russia to admit to the occupation of Baltic countries Lithuania, Latvia and Estonia resulting from the illegal Molotov-Ribbentrop pact. The resolution is dedicated to the 90th anniversary of Latvia’s Declaration of Independence. It highlights that the USA never recognized this occupation. Georgia was a lot more unlucky than the Baltic republics. It also declared its independence in 1918 but just three years later the Soviet Red Army occupied it, under the pretext of helping Borchalo region rebels. So Georgia became one of the Soviet Republics. So-called South Ossetia was also artificially created as a separate entity at that time and remained such for about 70 years.
The Senate resolution drew an immediate response from Russian politicians. Andrey Klimov , the Duma’s Foreign Relations Committee chairman, said that the Soviet Union and Russia are two separate states, Russia was under similar oppression to the Baltic Countries and Georgia and was also occupied by the USSR. Let us follow Klimov’s ridiculous logic. He states that the leader of the Soviet state was a Georgian –Stalin. “Let Georgians apologize for Jugashvili (Stalin), Beria, Orjonikidze and the others” says Klimov, “aggressive Georgians.” Yes, these people were Georgians. But they were leaders of Bolshevik Russia and all were promoting Russian interests not Georgian.
Today Russia has a selective approach to its history. Moscow admires the Soviet national anthem, keeps Lenin on public display in Red Square and attributes to itself the “Great Victories” of Stalin in World War Two, but does not want to answer for the sins of that Evil Empire. Russia’s first President, Yeltsin, once stated that Russia suffered as much if not more from Soviet rule as other Republics. This might be true, but Bolshevik Russia occupied and annexed other countries forcibly.
Today the Russian aggression is led by ethnic Russians. Does this alter the fact of the occupation? Moscow does not want to confess its sins because it is preparing to commit more crimes like the ones we have seen here if the civilized world does not tame the monster in time.