Paul Goble
Staunton, Jan. 15 – On January 11, Vladimir Solovyov, perhaps Moscow’s most prominent pro-Putin and pro-war television commentator, said that Moscow should launch “special military operations” like the one it is already carrying out in Ukraine against Central Asian countries and Armenia if they do not agree to Moscow’s demands.
He declared that what happens in “our Asia” and Armenia is far more important to Moscow than what happens in Venezuela, that international law is dead, that Russia should not give a damn about the reaction of European countries, and that it should even expand its efforts to defeat Ukraine and bring Ukraine to heal (nashaniva.com/en/385446).
Not surprisingly, his words have outrage in these countries and prompted their governments to raise the issue with Moscow which sought to calm the situation by suggesting Solovyev’s words were only his “personal opinion” (eadaily.com/ru/news/2026/01/13/solovyov-ne-zrya-zhyog-napalmom-govorya-o-provedenii-svo-v-ca-i-zakavkaze-baraeva, novgaz.com/index.php/2-news/4103-своловьёв-live, timesca.com/russian-tv-hosts-talk-of-military-operations-in-central-asia-triggers-backlash-in-uzbekistan/ and minval.az/news/124510743).
While many analysts have suggested that Solovyev, known for his extremist language, was simply responding with these words to the American moves in Venezuela and against Russian shipping, others noted that he is so close to the Kremlin that his threats are likely designed to intimidate the non-Russians and prepare Russians for new “special operations.”
However that may be, what Solovyev has said is already generating a backlash, further deepening the divide between Russia and its neighbors and making it less likely that Moscow will be able to get its way with them however the war in Ukraine turns out (caliber.az/post/konsolidaciya-centralnoaziatskih-stran-sposobna-otrezvit-soloveva).
No comments:
Post a Comment