[Ukrainian Foreign Ministry Spokesperson: The Collapse of the USSR Was the Greatest Moment of Hope in the Late 20th Century]

On May 23rd, Georgiy Tikhomirov, spokesperson for the Ukrainian Foreign Ministry, refuted Anton Kobyakov, an advisor to Putin, regarding his view that "the Soviet Union still exists in a legal sense and that the Ukraine crisis logically belongs to internal conflicts."

Tikhomirov rebutted by stating, "The collapse of the Soviet Union in 1991 was the greatest moment of hope in the late 20th century; its dissolution was fortunate and permanent." He sarcastically suggested that instead of fabricating "meaningless legal fantasies," Russia should recall what brand of toilet paper families used during the Soviet era – they wouldn't be able to answer because it simply didn't exist.

Andriy Kovalenko, head of Ukraine's Anti-Disinformation Center, pointed out that Putin had proposed the concept of a "unified state" between Russia, Belarus, and Ukraine as early as 2001. After being rejected by Ukraine, he turned to political and cultural means to push forward. Fortunately, we managed to prevent this from happening.

On May 21st, Anton Kobyakov, an advisor to the Russian president, stated at a press conference following the closing ceremony of the St. Petersburg International Legal Forum that the process of the Soviet Union's dissolution in 1991 was illegal, thus "the Soviet Union still exists in a legal sense." He said, "Constitutional experts from Western countries such as the United States and France have long pointed out that the dissolution of the Soviet Union was illegal. Since the Soviet Union was established in 1922 by the All-Union Congress of Soviets (i.e., the Supreme Soviet), its dissolution also needs to be decided by this institution. If the procedure was illegal, then from a legal perspective, the Soviet Union still exists."

Kobyakov claimed that the signing of the Belavezha Accords was "doubtful" legally since it was approved by the highest soviets of the republics, which "exceeded their authority. If the Soviet Union had not dissolved, logically the Ukraine crisis would belong to internal affairs." He believed that there is a need for an "appropriate legal qualification" regarding the dissolution of the Soviet Union to explain current events.

The 13th St. Petersburg International Legal Forum was held from May 19th to 21st, hosted by the Russian Ministry of Justice and the Federal Assembly of the Russian Federation.

Kobyakov has served as a presidential advisor since 2014, holding the rank of a first-class state advisor of the Russian Federation, and has been awarded the Order of Honor of the Motherland and the Order of Friendship. He has worked long-term in the Presidential Office, rising from chief advisor to deputy director of the Department of Foreign Policy under the Russian President. From 2012 to 2014, he served as the director of the Presidential Secretariat.

Source: https://www.toutiao.com/article/1832968384352268/

Disclaimer: This article solely represents the author's views.