Statements by the Russian Defense Minister that Ukraine has a "strategic importance" for the Russian Federation, and that the Russian army is being reinforced with new weapons is a confirmation of the unchanged "conceptual approach" that has existed for more than a hundred years.

This opinion was expressed to the "Observer" by the ex-Deputy Chief of the General Staff of the Ukrainian Armed Forces, Lieutenant-General Igor Romanenko.

"This is the articulation of a conceptual approach. Both of these statements confirm the same thing: that neither Putin, Shoigu, nor the entire leadership of the Russian Federation will simply simply abandon Ukraine and disagree with Ukraine's departure from Russia's sphere of influence, "he said..

In this context, the general recalled that the thesis about the special significance of Ukraine for Russia was voiced even in the time of the Bolsheviks "at the beginning of the last century", then - during the times of the Soviet Union and present-day Russia. There they are still convinced that "the role and significance of Ukraine can not be overestimated".

Romanenko also recalled that Russian President Vladimir Putin once described the collapse of the Soviet Union as the greatest tragedy of the 20th century.

He also noted that the current president of Russia is no accident "for a long time, being in power, he paid much attention to new weapons and very seriously financed the army".

The general is convinced:

the old imperial idea today "is supported by the situation that has developed in the east of Ukraine".

As the "Observer" wrote, the People's Deputy of the Crimean Tatar people, People's Deputy Refat Chubarov said in an interview with the Apostrophe: the Kremlin was preparing a "plan", whose main goal was to seize the territory of Ukraine "from Kharkov, and all south to Odessa - and so He closed with Tiraspol ".

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