It was written by the Institute for War Studies (ISW)
It is worth recalling that Medvedev declared that the territory on both banks of the Dnieper was Russian and Ukraine was Russia.
The ISW drew attention to the fact that the left bank of the Kherson region was currently occupied by Russian troops, but Medvedev defined all areas on the left bank of the Dnipro River and several territories on the right bank as “integrated” areas. “Strategic historical borders” of Russia.
Analysts also noted that Medvedev gave a lecture against the backdrop of a fictional English-language map of Eastern Europe that he published on his Telegram channel in July 2022. The map shows the areas of western Ukraine controlled by Hungary, Poland and Romania. This contributes to the Kremlin's recently renewed narrative that Eastern European countries have “territorial disputes” in western Ukraine, ISW noted. Such stories are aimed at damaging Ukraine's relations with its western neighbours.
The map shows Ukraine as a separate country only within the borders of the Kiev region, and the rest of modern Ukrainian territory is marked as part of Russia – beyond the areas currently occupied by enemy forces and fragments of the four regions. occupied by the Russian Federation.
“The fact that Medvedev re-used the 2022 map underscores that the Kremlin's maximum territorial goals have remained unchanged since the start of the war,” ISW said.
Medvedev also referred to Russian President Putin's words that the borders of the Russian Federation do not end anywhere. He said that the more powerful a state is, the more its strategic boundaries go beyond its state borders, and the greater the state's “economic, political and socio-cultural influence”. Analysts believe that this may indicate that the Russian Federation does not want to leave Ukraine in any form.
“The presence of the Ukrainian state in the Kyiv region — even after a hypothetical settlement of the war in Ukraine through negotiations under the leadership of Russia — may be temporary and subject to future attacks by Russia,” the ISW noted.
For the Russian Federation, the obedience of the people of Ukraine is important, analysts emphasize.
Also, Medvedev's speech could indicate the Kremlin's intentions to attack Poland, Finland, Romania or Moldova.
- By the end of 2023, Medvedev announced the Russian Federation's intention to capture Odessa, Dnipro, Kharkiv, Mykolayiv, and Kiev.
- In January, Medvedev said Ukraine's political regime was the cause of the war, regardless.
