Paul
Goble
Staunton, March 4 – Given Moscow’s
attempt to use ethnic Russians in Ukraine against that country, some in Kyiv
have suggested the Ukrainian authorities should turn the tables on the Kremlin
and speak out in defense of the rights of the non-Russian nations within the
Russian Federation.
The Russian government is clearly
sensitive to this possibility and has responded by imposing sanctions on Ukrainians
who have even discussed taking this step (windowoneurasia2.blogspot.com/2019/05/ukrainian-parliament-calls-for-new.html,
windowoneurasia2.blogspot.com/2018/12/kyiv-to-focus-attention-on-moscows.html
and
In fact, the Ukrainians have done relatively
little beyond issuing declarations and providing asylum for non-Russian
activists, not trivial steps to be sure compared to other countries but hardly
comparable to what the Kremlin has done in making use of ethnic Russians to undermine
the Ukrainian state.
Now, Mihail Gonchar, president of
Kyiv’s Strategy XXI Center, has approached this issue in an indirect way but
one that is certain to alarm Moscow even more (gordonua.com/blogs/mihail-gonchar/rossiyu-mozhno-i-nuzhno-unichtozhat-iznutri-u-turcii-dlya-etogo-est-soobshchniki-vnutri-rf-1489533.html).
He argues that “Russia can and must
be destroyed from within” and he suggests that “Turkey has confederates inside
the Russian Federation. In Tatarstan, and not only; and in Idel-Ural and not only.”
Thus, “if Erdogan decides to do so, Russia will be tied down with internal problems”
and won’t be in a position to cause Ankara the kind of problems it has been.
Given that Russia has sought to exploit
the situation f ethnic minorities in Turkey for decades, Gonchar says, Turkey
not only has opportunity but compelling reasons to do as well. That is something
at least some in Moscow may now be increasingly worried is an all too real possibility.
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