Dmitry Medvedev gave a lecture at the World Youth Festival on the “geographical” and “strategic” borders of states

Deputy Chairman of the Security Council of the Russian Federation Dmitry Medvedev gave a lecture on the “geographical” and “strategic” borders of world states on Monday to the participants of the World Youth Festival. The illustration of political theory in his speech, of course, was Russia with its endless borders and constructive geopolitical priorities. Mr. Medvedev paid especially close attention to the situation around Ukraine, the borders of which and the situation around which was not clear to everyone.

Large-scale lecture on the specifics of Russian borders Dmitry Medvedev opened quote from Vladimir Putin: “Our president spoke precisely and succinctly about our borders: Russia’s borders do not end anywhere.” True, this thesis, as it turned out, allows for a multifaceted interpretation, including in terms of terminology itself.

According to Mr. Medvedev’s concept, states have two types of borders—geographical and strategic.

The first are the well-known “stable and officially recognized demarcation and delimitation lines,” while the second researchers prefer “not to mention once again,” the politician emphasized: “These borders are not limited to the physical size of countries, but directly depend on how far the political power: the more powerful the state, the further its strategic frontiers extend beyond state borders and the larger the strategic space on which such a country exerts political, economic and socio-cultural influence.”

Russia’s strategic borders, “like any great power,” lie “far beyond the geographic,” Dmitry Medvedev continued: the core of its “geostrategic space” is the “adjacent countries” associated with our “centuries-old traditions of cooperation,” and thus formed The “natural security belt” has “enduring significance” for the Russian Federation.

“We have no territorial disputes with the states included in this belt; after the collapse of the USSR, we maintained beneficial cooperation and comfortable interpersonal communication with them,” said the deputy chairman of the Security Council. “Russia does not dictate its political will to its good neighbors, does not tell them how to live, does not threaten sanctions.” It was this “strategic sphere” that Russia’s enemies made the main target, Mr. Medvedev explained.

The strategic borders of the “second level” of the Russian Federation, according to him, cover the space of “Greater Eurasia”: “Any responsible power realizes that for the effective development of such a vast territory, stability is needed above all.” At the same time, Moscow’s efforts in this area are aimed at increasing the well-being of residents and new opportunities for economic cooperation: work within the EAEU, with Asian states and ASEAN countries is bringing noticeable success. “For the time being, we were ready to continue the same constructive line with the European Union,” but the EU countries “chose a completely different path for themselves,” Dmitry Medvedev complained: “To become dumb animals for the United States of America or to be, in my favorite Latin, an instrumentum vocale, that is, speaking instruments, as slaves were called in Ancient Rome.” He accompanied this thesis with a photoshoot from his Telegram channel, where the distorted faces of a number of European leaders are “decorated” with the attributes of real drunkards: swelling, missing teeth, damask around the mouth, etc.

Finally, discussing the “highest level of strategic boundaries,” the deputy chairman of the Security Council said that Russia’s global interests are “explainable and natural”: “Our country, as a permanent member of the UN Security Council, is a great world power and tries to show appropriate concern for those who need help, as well as as well as to repel those who are trying to shake up the situation, who are pursuing an aggressive policy towards us and our partners, who are acting against our interests and contrary to the norms of international law.”

Separately, Mr. Medvedev outlined the role of Ukraine, “or, more precisely, Little Russia”: “The territories on both banks of the Dnieper are an integral part of Russia’s strategic historical borders, and all attempts to forcibly change them, to cut them off to the quick, are doomed.”

“Our geostrategic space has been indivisible since the times of the ancient Russian state. We have a common language, religion, ideas about everyday and customary way of life,” the politician explained. “Therefore, this is an integral part of the sacred space for each of us, no matter how the wild Kyiv Nazis and their masters strive to tear this space apart.” The current “Bandera Ukraine” serves as a “battering ram” for an anti-Russian attack initiated by Washington, which is trying to “extend its strategic borders to almost all regions of the world,” the lecturer added: “Under the pretext of spreading democracy, the United States is inciting wars all over the planet, while the goal is transparent : moneymaking, that’s all for it.”

At the same time, Russia “does not seek to obtain at its disposal the treasures” of Ukraine, because it has resources in much greater quantities, Mr. Medvedev assured: “In Ukraine, the main wealth for us is of a completely different kind: great value, which we will not give up to anyone and for nothing.” “These are people who are close to us in spirit and, in fact, relatives.” Therefore, Russia’s task now is to remove the “anti-Russian intoxication” from these people and return them to “our perimeter”, making them independently realize that “only here, next to us, will they prosper and feel needed.”

The United States, meanwhile, the deputy chairman of the Security Council moved to broader generalizations, will face opposition around the world, because the end of the unipolar world order assumes that every major center of power will try to ensure its strategic borders and national interests. “And the strength and influence of America are no longer the same: just look at the caricatured figure of their president,” the speaker inspired the audience, presenting the famous video footage of Joe Biden, either falling from a bicycle or extending his hand to the void.

In contrast to the United States, Russia intends to make the space outlined by its strategic borders “a zone of mutual understanding and constructive cooperation.”

And Moscow’s main interest is not the expansion of territories, as its enemies are trying to imagine, Dmitry Medvedev emphasized: “What is important to us is competent, predictable, sovereign power in neighboring countries, which acts for the benefit of the prosperity of its citizens and the international community.”

Foreign listeners appreciated the rich texture, but wanted clarification. Thus, the Frenchwoman Yasmine asked under what conditions “regions reunited with Russia” will be de jure recognized by the international community and how important this is for Moscow. “This is not so important,” the politician frankly admitted and pointed out that everyone who recognizes the sovereignty and territorial integrity of the Russian Federation will automatically recognize the entry of new regions into it. Hakim from Bahrain asked what global threats, in the lecturer’s opinion, are underestimated in wide world circles. Mr. Medvedev said that he “would like, oddly enough, to agree with Joe Biden” and recall the changing climate, but would not because “the main threat is the threat of a nuclear conflict.”

The Russians, in turn, asked the deputy chairman of the Security Council about peace (the current Ukrainian government is not ready for peace negotiations, he answered), the key changes of the North Military District era (the main thing is that the Russians have become a “single people”) and his personal joys in life (he still loves fishing and books). But it fell to the Parisian Guillaume to sum up the meeting: “If you were young again and transported to the future, to our time, what would strike you most?” Suddenly becoming more serious and, it seems, speculating more for show about technical progress, Dmitry Medvedev finally admitted: “I would be most amazed by you, young people. You are very different from us: you are faster, more prepared, and have a wide range of interests. And you are freer than we are in searching for solutions, in daring…” But humanity as a whole has not changed much and has retained all its vices, Mr. Medvedev summed up almost Woland-like: “Lies, cynicism, betrayal – everything remains.”

Grigory Leiba, federal territory “Sirius”