Russia has entered an ultranationalist escalation that distances it more and more from the real world, in a dangerous eagerness to resurrect the Soviet Union.<\/p>\n
The initiative of Putin's party for Lithuania to cease to be an independent country<\/big><\/p>\n This Wednesday, the official Russian agency Tass published a news<\/a> with this preposterous headline: \"A bill on the abolition of the resolution of the USSR State Council on the independence of Lithuania<\/strong> was presented to the Duma.\"<\/em> In other words, if that resolution is approved, Russia would stop recognizing Lithuania as an independent country, so the Russian Federation could claim that Baltic republic as part of its territory.<\/strong><\/p>\n According to this news from the official Russian agency, the author of this initiative is deputy Yevgeny Fedorov, a member of the Central Political Council of United Russia, Vladimir Putin's party.<\/strong> It is not the first time that this deputy presents a controversial proposal. In June 2015, Fedorov called on the Russian Prosecutor General to review the formation of the State Council of the USSR<\/a> and the actions of Mikhail Gorbachev that led to the dissolution of the Soviet Union in 1991. That maneuver was interpreted as an attempt by Putin of annulling the independence of the Baltic republics<\/a>, since that State Council was the one that accepted in 1991 the separation of Lithuania, Latvia and Estonia from the USSR.<\/p>\n Lithuania was invaded by the USSR in 1940 and regained its independence in 1991<\/big><\/p>\n Lithuania was part of the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth from 1569 to 1795, when the Commonwealth was dissolved and its territory divided between the Kingdom of Prussia, the Austrian Empire, and the Russian Empire. Lithuania and a part of Poland remained under Russian rule until 1918<\/strong>, when both countries regained their independence. In June 1940, and as a result of the German-Soviet pact of 1939, the USSR invaded Lithuania and annexed the country<\/strong>, as it had already done in September 1939 with the eastern fringe of Poland. On February 9, 1991, Lithuania organized an independence referendum that received the support of 93.2% of voters<\/strong>, with a turnout of 76.5%. The USSR recognized the independence of Lithuania on September 6, 1991.<\/p>\n Fedorov now claims that this recognition of Lithuanian independence was \"illegal\". In addition, the deputy of Putin's party affirms that \"in the Republic of Lithuania there was no referendum on secession from the Soviet Union\"<\/em>, which is clearly false<\/strong>, because as has been pointed out, that referendum was organized, with a result overwhelmingly in favor of independence.<\/p>\n The Tass agency makes the purpose of this initiative clear: to annex Lithuania<\/big><\/p>\n The purpose of this initiative by Putin's party is clear in the last paragraph of the Tass news agency: \"Fedorov also points out that, in accordance with Article 67.1 of the Constitution of the Russian Federation, the Russian Federation is the legal successor of the USSR on its territory<\/strong>, therefore the resolution of the State Council of the USSR of September 6, 1991 is subject to cancellation\"<\/em>, referring to the resolution that recognized Lithuanian independence. That is to say, that Putin's party resorts to falsehoods in an attempt to appropriate Lithuania, appealing to the USSR, which ceased to exist on December 26, 1991.<\/strong><\/p>\n Fedorov stated his purpose in March: he wants to restore the Europe of 1945<\/big><\/p>\n It should be noted that on March 16, Fedorov already used the same false arguments to claim that \"Ukraine should be with us in a single state\"<\/em><\/a>, in what he described as \"the restoration of international legal stability, based on the results of World War II<\/strong>\"<\/em>, a war initiated by nazi Germany and the USSR with their joint invasion of Poland. It is not enough for Putin's regime to resurrect the USSR: it wants to return to 1945, when half of Europe fell under the boot of the dictator and genocidal Stalin.<\/strong><\/p>\n This United Russia initiative reaffirms a fact that some of us have already warned: Ukraine is fighting not only for its independence, but also to stop Russian imperialism, which has half of Europe in its sights.<\/strong> Recall that on May 13, the Russian State Duma already threatened Poland with being the next invaded<\/a> after Ukraine. The leaders of NATO and the European Union (organizations of which Lithuania is a member) must now become aware of this threat and act accordingly. The future of Europe is being decided in Ukraine.<\/strong><\/p>\n ---<\/p>\n
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