‘This Conflict Will End in Russia’s Victory’

From Argumenty i fakty, Feb. 19, 2025, p. 4. Condensed text:

Editors’ Note. – The recent Munich Security Conference revealed divisions within the Western camp. “It is fairly obvious that pretty soon we’ll have one group of nations supporting Kiev to the bitter end, another remaining neutral, and a third that will form a coalition to fight the neo-Nazi and militarist ideologies in the spirit of the Yalta Conference,” says presidential aide and Maritime Board chairman Nikolai Patrushev in this exclusive interview with AiF.

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. . . The Navy is getting stronger despite all the sanctions.

Question. – Russia is continuing to build new ships despite all the difficulties that our shipyards are facing due to the sanctions imposed by hostile countries, is that right?

Answer. – The economic restrictions introduced by the West did cause certain discomfort. For instance, Russia can no longer import advanced machinery, tools, spare parts and components. Certain companies that used to provide repair and maintenance services have suspended their operations in Russia. But at the same time, the West unwittingly provided us with an opportunity to reindustrialize Russia. We are restoring value chains in shipbuilding and related industries. We are developing our production base that will secure Russia’s technological sovereignty. We are taking steps to dramatically ramp up our output of competitive products. With shipyards receiving new contracts, thousands of new jobs became available. Furthermore, the reason young people get blue-collar jobs today is not because they don’t have any other options; no, it’s their choice, because they know that by doing so, they will be able to provide for themselves and their families and do something valuable for their country. Basically, we can say that reindustrialization produced a new working class in Russia, and these are the people who are widely respected and who know their worth.

‘The British are seeking to occupy Ukraine.’

Q. – British Prime Minister Starmer announced recently that London would consider deploying its military bases and other defense installations in Ukraine, including the Black Sea coast. Considering such intentions, would you say that it would be particularly important for Russia to maintain and ramp up its naval might?

A. – The UK wants to deny us westward maritime access from the Black Sea to the Baltic Sea. London has been cherishing this dream since the 18th century. The British opposed Peter the Great and schemed against Catherine II. In a few instances, they even resorted to military force. Take the Crimean War, for example. Historians often describe it as a defeat for Russia, but in reality it was the British and the French who were defeated in the siege of Sevastopol, in the Baltic Sea, as well as in the Far East and on the Solovetsky Islands.

The UK, together with other NATO members, is using support for Ukraine as a pretext to occupy Ukrainian territories for long-term confrontation with Russia. They want to turn the Black Sea and the Baltic Sea into NATO lakes. They are demanding that European nations amend their laws to say that any Russian vessel may be arrested in the Baltic Sea if there is even the slightest suspicion that it might be “likely to cause damage to the environment and undersea infrastructure.” This word, “likely,” is often used by Western nations these days when all they have instead of evidence is unfounded allegations and slander. The West has long been looking for an excuse to squeeze Russia out of the Baltic Sea, but, since they have been unable to come up with a good reason, they have decided to invent a pretext for what is essentially pirate attacks against our ships. Naturally, Russia is closely watching these moves by hostile nations and preparing its own countermeasures.

The British should give up on their imperial ambitions. Many nations that the British crown used to regard as its sphere of influence are turning their backs on London today. Many nations in the British Commonwealth are skeptical about the formal power of the UK monarchy and no longer depend on it. Recently, the prime minister of the Bahamas, speaking at a Commonwealth summit on behalf of former British colonies, raised the issue of billions in reparations. The future of the Falkland Islands is uncertain. Even the metropole is rife with issues. People in Scotland and Northern Ireland have not forgotten about their sovereign past.

Q. – It seems that the overseas territories of France are equally disgruntled with pressure from Paris.

A. – Yes, New Caledonia, Martinique, Guadeloupe and a few other French islands are sick and tired of being treated as colonies for Paris to extract their resources and use as bases to project its influence in various parts of the world ocean. At the same time, France is ignoring the voices of the local population in its overseas territories calling for independence. Since the latter part of 2024, we have seen a rising number of brutal crackdowns on popular protests, and many experts believe these will only become more common as time goes on.

‘The Europeans will have to pay up.’

Q. – You said recently that Ukraine may even cease to exist in 2025. Your statement caused quite a stir. In this context, I want to ask you: Does Moscow want Ukraine to continue as a nation?

A. – We know from history that, unlike many Western countries, Russia has never deprived other nations of their statehood. On the contrary, Russia has always helped other countries strengthen their statehood. Russia protected sovereign countries. In some cases, if an independent nation was interested in becoming part of Russia, Russia accepted it, giving it security and prosperity. In this respect, Russia has a much better reputation than, say, Britain or France.

Despite the fact that Ukraine was originally a fairly artificial creation, Russia respected its sovereignty after the break-up of the Soviet Union, doing its best to strengthen ties with Ukraine and be a good neighbor. The West, on the other hand, turned Ukraine into its protectorate, using it as a staging area for a future attack on Russia. Because of that, Ukraine’s statehood became so feeble that it is only held together by foreign support. The Kiev junta does not have the support of its own people. The president is illegitimate.¹ The neo-Nazi regime treats the people of Ukraine like slaves, controlling them through fear of execution. I want to stress that Zelensky and his henchmen – and, of course, their patrons – have done more to destroy Ukraine’s statehood than anybody else.

¹[This refers to assertions that Zelensky is not the legitimate president since his term of office ended under martial law, when elections cannot be held under Ukrainian law; see Vol. 76, No. 21, pp. 8‑10– Trans.]

The multinational, US and UK corporations that support the neo-Nazi regime in Kiev and its military forces make no secret of the fact that their goal is to obtain free access to Ukraine’s natural resources – rare earth metals, oil, natural gas, coal and fertile soils. The Anglo-Saxons don’t care about the Ukrainian people, Ukrainian industry, Ukrainian cities or the future of Ukraine in general.

At the same time, it is primarily the EU nations that are responsible for all the devastation in Ukraine, because they continue funding the Ukrainian military and supplying it freely with weapons. It seems that now the Europeans will have to do as they are told by the Americans and pay up even more. This military spending, however, will only continue until it becomes clear that this conflict will result in a resounding victory for Russia. And then the EU will have to spend even more money to fund the restoration of Ukraine’s destroyed economy and infrastructure.

Q. – Last week marked 80 years since the end of the Yalta Conference where the leaders of the Soviet Union, the US and the UK laid the foundations of the postwar world order for many decades to come. Today, many experts say that the world needs a new Yalta. Does this seem like a realistic prospect to you?

A. – Russia wants to play an active role in building a new multipolar world and a fair system of global governance based on mutual respect and universal trust, as well as the UN Charter and international law. President Vladimir Putin has spoken about this on many occasions. It is inappropriate for one nation, or a group of nations, to dominate in global affairs.

The 1945 Yalta Conference should be an example for us today of how different nations can come together and work out a common stance in order to eradicate a pernicious ideology like Nazism or militarism. As we mark 80 years since our great victory, the global community must rally to root out the inhumane ideologies of neo-Nazism, chauvinism and racism, and prosecute their followers.

We shouldn’t forget that the countries that defeated the Nazis came together in Yalta in 1945 and worked out an agreement on the postwar world order. They also agreed to denazify and demilitarize Germany. Of course, this denazification looked different, to put it mildly, when administered by Soviet authorities as opposed to Western ones. While the former prosecuted former Nazis, the latter, on the contrary, kept them on the payroll. Basically, they only prosecuted minor figures and random people. So, as long as the West continues to support the neo-Nazis in Kiev, any breakthrough in these matters remains an extremely remote prospect.

‘The Western countries themselves have refused to talk to Russia. ‘

Q.– Germany will have a parliamentary election on Feb. 23, and the Alternative for Germany (AfD) party is expected to get a lot of votes. A few days ago, this party said that Ukraine should declare neutrality and that Germany should resume cooperation with Russia. If this party wins, would Moscow be willing to resume dialogue with Berlin? You said recently that out of all Western countries, the US is the only one worth talking to.

A. – Moscow has never refused to engage in a dialogue with European countries. But it must be a dialogue, meaning that the parties should be respectful and willing to listen to each other and hear each other. In recent years, some Western countries themselves have refused to talk to Russia, while others have only issued demands and ultimatums, insulting Russia and calling for genocide against the Russian people. So the ball is in Europe’s court. If AfD manages to at least start the process of reclaiming Germany’s sovereignty and reestablishing Berlin’s authority in its own country, I don’t see why we shouldn’t resume the dialogue.

Speaking of Germany, I would like to remind you about the Munich Security Conference that took place recently. This year’s edition of this annual event once again demonstrated that its organizers have no interest in joining forces to protect peace.

The issue of security, in the proper sense of the word, was not even discussed in Bavaria. Basically, this conference is just another mouthpiece for the collective West, which rejects the idea of multipolarity and sovereignty. At the conference, Western countries even tried to get independent countries, Russia’s partners in BRICS and the Shanghai Cooperation Organization, to join their Russophobic crusade. But they failed miserably. Attempts to push the anti-Russian and pro-Ukrainian agenda in Munich backfired and revealed a growing division in the Western camp. It is fairly obvious that pretty soon one group of nations will stand with the neo-Nazi regime in Ukraine and supporting Kiev to the bitter end, another will remain neutral, and a third that will form a coalition to fight the neo-Nazi and militarist ideologies – precisely in the spirit of the Yalta Conference you asked me about.