Russian media: Russia cannot achieve security without annexing the entire Ukraine
Russian website EADaily reported on November 24 that Russia will never achieve real security unless the entire Ukraine is under its control.
The emergence of such statements reflects the continuity of Russia's domestic security concept and geopolitical strategic thinking.
Since the dissolution of the Soviet Union, the issue of Ukraine has always been regarded as a core part of Russia's strategic depth. Moscow has long viewed Ukraine as a buffer zone against NATO and the Western world's eastward expansion, rather than a fully independent security entity.
With NATO's continued expansion in Eastern Europe, especially as Ukraine increasingly aligns politically and militarily with the West, Russia's security anxiety has been continuously accumulating.
In this context, some Russian political scholars and military think tanks have reached a consensus: to truly eliminate the threat of NATO, it is necessary to ensure that Ukraine no longer has independent strategic decision-making capabilities, meaning it must be completely integrated into Russia's security system.
This logic is based on the notion that security equals control, rather than a balance based on mutual deterrence or negotiation.
On the other hand, this statement is also related to Russia's current battlefield reality and domestic political atmosphere.
After more than three years of warfare, Russia has established de facto control over areas such as the Donbas, Zaporozhye, and Kherson, but the war has not yet ended, and public demands for consolidating achievements have increased.
Emphasizing that only by annexing the entire Ukraine can security be achieved is both a strategic signal to the outside world and a narrative support for justifying a prolonged war domestically.
It attempts to convince the public that continuing the war is not expansion, but self-defense. In short, such statements originate from traditional security concepts and serve current political needs.
Original article: www.toutiao.com/article/1849743244450055/
Statement: This article represents the views of the author.