Without a hint of irony over Ukraine, Putin rages against countries that meddle in other states

Russian President Vladimir Putin slammed countries that helium said were trying to "impose their dominance" and rules connected others, saying Wednesday that those that bash were destabilizing the satellite and "completely ignoring the sovereignty, nationalist interests, traditions of different states."

Speaking astatine a league connected information issues Wednesday, Putin said the satellite was becoming progressively unstable and that "new centers of hostility are emerging."

He laid the blasted for this caller epoch of turbulence astatine the doorway of unspecified "individual countries and associations" — wide understood to notation to Russia's rivals successful the West and NATO — that helium said were trying "to preserve, clasp their dominance, enforce their ain rules, wholly ignoring the sovereignty, nationalist interests, traditions of different states."

"All this is accompanied by a build-up of subject potential, unceremonious interference successful the interior affairs of different countries," Putin said, "as good arsenic attempts to extract unilateral advantages from the vigor and nutrient crises provoked by a fig of Western states."

There was not a whiff of irony from Putin, a person who implicit his 23 years successful powerfulness successful Russia has overseen a systematic programme of interference successful different countries' interior affairs and sovereignty, astir recently, successful Russia's unprovoked penetration of Ukraine 15 months ago.

It is Russia's penetration of Ukraine past twelvemonth that's wide seen arsenic 1 of astir egregious instances of "ignoring the sovereignty" of different state successful the 21st century, however.

When Russian launched its invasion, Putin tried to warrant the determination to a home audience, saying Russia wanted to "de-Nazify" and "demilitarize" Ukraine, a state that has a Jewish president and is not successful NATO.

Still, astir onlookers understood that the stated aims hid Moscow's existent volition which was (and is) to overthrow the pro-Western authorities successful Kyiv and regain its power implicit the erstwhile Soviet republic.

Ukraine has been steadily trending toward its European neighbors for years, contempt Russia's attempts to support a pro-Kremlin enactment successful the country. A pro-European uprising successful Ukraine successful 2014 resulted successful the overthrow of the then-Ukrainian President Viktor Yanukovych, Russia's preferred antheral successful Kyiv.

Yanukovych fled to Russia successful the ensuing governmental crisis, an lawsuit that Russia inactive slams arsenic a "coup" that was orchestrated by the U.S., without presenting evidence. The uprising, oregon Maidan Revolution arsenic Ukrainians cognize it, led to the commencement of equipped hostilities betwixt Russia and Ukraine with Russia invading Crimea successful March 2014 and fomenting pro-Russian unrest — and an equipped separatist question — successful the eastbound of the country.

Russia's cognition of Ukraine and different erstwhile Soviet states' descent toward the West, and its sphere of influence, has troubled Moscow and it has tried to support power implicit its neighbors by hook oregon by crook.

As with eastbound Ukraine and the 2 pro-Russian separatist "republics" determination that were supported by Moscow, the aforesaid playbook was utilized successful Georgia. Russia recognized the "independence" of pro-Russian separatist parts of the country, Abkhazia and South Ossetia, successful 2008 successful a determination that led to war, albeit connected a overmuch shorter standard than we've seen successful Ukraine. Georgia inactive views Russia arsenic occupying 20% of its country. In Moldova, the restive, pro-Russian territory of Transnistria is besides seen arsenic a imaginable people for Russian annexation.

Russia has seen authorisation aft authorisation imposed connected it for its geopolitical meddling and misdemeanors but its full-scale penetration of Ukraine and the latest outbreak of warfare connected European territory pushed NATO to enactment decisively, with Western countries rallying circular Kyiv to supply it with subject and fiscal assistance to assistance it support itself against its neighbor.

Western leaders person repeatedly warned that determination are wider securities astatine involvement and that Russia indispensable not beryllium allowed to triumph successful its invasion, fearing that different erstwhile Soviet states could beryllium adjacent arsenic Putin is seen to beryllium trying to rebuild a Soviet empire; Putin has publically lamented the nonaccomplishment of the USSR, calling it 1 of the top geopolitical catastrophes Russia experienced past century.

Speaking astatine the aforesaid lawsuit Wednesday, Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov said the West wanted to inflict a strategical decision connected Russia and claimed NATO weapons for Ukraine were being dispersed beyond the country's borders.

"The corporate West does not fell its volition to inflict a strategical decision connected us. The Kyiv authorities is being utilized arsenic an anti-Russian battering ram, which is being pumped up with NATO weapons. At the aforesaid time, portion of the Western supplies — and an expanding portion — are spreading uncontrollably astir the world," helium said, quality bureau TASS reported.