In Donbass so far, the weapons, however, the self-proclaimed leadership of Donetsk national Republic declared itself a long time ago. Whatever it was, its head Alexander Zakharchenko tore information a truce and announced the formation of a new “Federal state” little Russia, which must replace Ukraine in three years.
“We, the representatives of the regions of the former Ukraine offered on the site of the former Ukraine, based on the historical background, the establishment of the state of Ruthenia. In this case, renaming the country is crucial, because Ukraine, as a state, guilty of war crimes, mass terror, genocide of their own people,” he said in the presence of the notorious Russian writer and national-Bolshevik Zakhar Prilepin. Further the performance was a series of accusations of “neo-Nazism” in Ukraine, which Zakharchenko offers to get rid of, replacing the name of the historic little Russia (so designated in the Ukrainian province of tsarist Russia).
Trial balloon
“Until the XIX century the name of little Russia was used approximately as the lower Germany to refer to the modern Netherlands, explains Andreas Umland (Andreas Umland), a historian and expert on Franco-Ukrainian relations. — This concept is no longer used, and return to it today points to a non-existent historical continuity”. Anyway, a few years ago, he again began to speak some Kremlin ideologists. “In particular this was evident in the words of Deputy Prime Minister Dmitry Rogozin, who expressed the idea that a significant part of Ukraine belongs to Russia”, — says Umland. In his opinion, the return of this concept in the vocabulary of the separatists could mean a trial balloon for new imperialist adventures. As, however, and to be a sudden whim of the Donetsk leadership.
Caught unawares, the Russian media have rushed to welcome the rebirth of the Ukraine by Catherine the great. In any case, the leaders of the separatists there is a very clear, albeit very mixed views on their new home. Donetsk should become the capital of the new state, while Kiev will only retain the status of “historical and cultural” city. Also provides for state of emergency prohibition of activities of political parties. While the separatists did not intend to refuse from visa-free travel to Europe, which has made them so hated Ukraine. “Zakharchenko is not a politician, and a puppet that only the words of the Kremlin”, — has responded to the incident, the President Poroshenko.
Ruthenia appeared on the radar 24 hours before a new round of peace talks in Minsk. “We should not accept the statement Zakharchenko seriously, — says political analyst Volodymyr Fesenko. — He’s already promised to liberate Ukraine, to travel to Kyiv on a tank, to drive everyone to Berlin. Anyway, there may be a question of the tactics of intimidation of Ukrainians and representatives of the West.”
