The one who is today vice-president of the special security council of the Russian Federation commented on Ukraine’s wish to conclude a two-year contract for the purchase of American liquefied gas. “Who can assure that Ukraine will still be on the world map in two years time?” he asked. Medvedev was Russia’s president from 2008 to 2012. He was considered a young innovator, but also a “replacement” for Vladimir Putin, who is prohibited by law from running indefinitely. Medvedev has recently made several statements condescendingly referring to his Ukrainian neighbor. Some observers fear that these statements indicate a desire to destroy Ukraine as an independent state. But according to the Kremlin, the goal of the “military operation” is to eliminate Ukrainian military capabilities and “liberate” the eastern region of Donbass.
During the Russian attack on Ukraine which began on February 24, the elimination of the pro-Western Ukrainian government appeared to be the main objective of the attack and attacks were also carried out near the capital kyiv. But this government, led by President Volodymyr Zelensky, has already announced that it is renouncing the country’s membership of NATO. Russian troops are now trying to conquer the entire eastern region of Donbass and retain the southeastern regions of Kherson and Zaporizhia. The regions would then be incorporated and, like Crimea before them, would no longer fall under kyiv’s control. For some observers, the Kremlin actually wants to subjugate the whole country in stages.