Putin´s desire for a new Russian empire won´t stop with Ukraine | Pavlo Klimkin
(The Guardian Russia)

My country has suffered terribly from the Kremlin´s obsession with restoring Soviet hegemony. But the entire security of Europe and the west is at stakeo A thousand miles from Moscow: how Putin forged his Russian heartlando Vladimir Putin has one reliable set of allies: Russia´s iron ladiesOver the past decade Europe has sleepwalked into an increasingly precarious and less safe place. The postwar order that provided so much peace and stability across the continent appears to be breaking up.Sergey Lavrov, the Russian foreign minister, as much as rejoiced in this at the recent Munich security conference when he spoke of the a new `post-west` era in Europe. Reversing the breakup of the Soviet Union and restoring the Russian empire have now become an obsession for the Kremlin. There are three things central to understanding what motivates Russia, and how Vladimir Putin´s government works. Related: Inside the `Donetsk People`s Republic`: balaclavas, Stalin flags and razorwire Related: In Putin´s Russia, the hollowed-out media mirrors the state | Alexey Kovalev There can be no talk of lifting sanctions. They hurt Russia more than the Kremlin cares to admit Continue reading...