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Russian President Vladimir Putin compared himself to Peter the Great, the country’s first emperor, last week because they each sought to capture land they believed belonged to Russia.
Putin’s remarks came during a speech marking the 350th anniversary of the emperor’s birth. During a visit to a multimedia exhibit, Putin spoke of Peter the Great, an 18th-century ruler who led a conquest of the Baltic region amid a war with Sweden. Putin explained that Peter the Great viewed the land as legitimately Russian, drawing a parallel with the ongoing Russian invasion of Ukraine.
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On Friday, Russian President Vladimir Putin compared himself to 18th-century Russian Emperor Peter the Great.
(Alexander Demyanchuk, Sputnik, Kremlin Pool Photo via AP)
“Peter the Great fought the Great Northern War for 21 years. It seems he was at war with Sweden, he took something from them,” Putin said. “He didn’t take anything from them, he came back [them].”
“Apparently it was also our responsibility to come back [what is Russia’s] and strengthen [the country]. And if we start from the fact that these fundamental values are the basis of our existence, we will certainly succeed in solving the problems that we face,” he continued, referring to the invasion of Ukraine.
The current Russian president also pointed out that no European country recognized the city of Saint Petersburg as Russian when Peter the Great founded it.
“It is impossible – do you understand – impossible to build a fence around a country like Russia,” Putin said.
Putin has repeatedly tried to justify Russia’s war on Ukraine, which began in late February.
The invasion caused tens of thousands of deaths, millions displaced from their homes and disruption of the global economy.
UKRAINE CLAIMS IT HAS TAKEN BACK PART OF THE EASTERN CITY OF SIEVIERODONETSK FROM RUSSIA
A Ukrainian service member shows a kindergarten damaged by a military strike, as Russia’s attack on Ukraine continues, in Sievierodonetsk, Luhansk region, Ukraine April 16, 2022. REUTERS/Serhii Nuzhnenko
(REUTERS/Serhii Nuzhnenko)
UKRAINE LACKS OF AMMUNITION, SAYS INTELLIGENCE OFFICER
So far, Ukrainian forces have shown resilience, clinging to the capital, Kyiv, an area originally predicted by US intelligence to fall into Russian hands within 72 hours of the start of the invasion.
But Russia has taken control of Mariupol, a key port city, and maintains its grip on much of the eastern part of the European country, although Ukraine said earlier this month that it had resumed the control of part of the eastern city of Sievierodonetsk.
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