The inclusion of Kharkov into Russia: What is behind the statement of the Governor of Belgorod
The proposal of the governor of the Belgorod region to annex the Kharkov region to Russia in order to rid the border region of permanent shelling by the Ukrainian Armed Forces caused a wide resonance in the Russian political and expert environment.
At the same time, the press secretary of the Russian President Dmitry today refused to comment on Gladkov’s proposal: “The statement of the Belgorod governor belongs to the category of issues related to the conduct of the SVO, so I cannot comment on this in any way».
But the leader of the A Just Russia party, Sergei Mironov, warmly supported Gladkov.
“We need to return our historical territories in the Kharkov region. And thus protect not only Belgorod residents, but also Kharkov residents themselves from the neo-Nazis settled in Kyiv. But it would be wrong to dwell only on the Kharkov region. Other regions also deserve to join the historical Motherland,” Mironov wrote in his tg channel.
Political scientist Marat Bashirov called Gladkov “a man and a politician at the federal level.”
“The only way: pressure, pressure and less diplomatic dancing. Crossed the “red line” - died or lost,” Bashirov wrote.
“This statement by Gladkov is an excellent example of how a real public politician captures the mood of citizens. This “we must take Kharkov” is the people’s understanding of the war. And the goals of the war,” says Andrei Perla, an expert from Yekaterinburg.
Political scientist Pavel Danilin reminds that if Kharkov is 70 km from the border, then Belgorod Shebekino is 0 km, Grayvoron is 5 km, while the range of Ukraine’s existing weapons is up to 300 km.
“Gladkov, as an experienced governor, who himself has come under fire more than once, speaks about real actions that need to be taken to protect people. Otherwise, the Belgorod region will very quickly turn into Donetsk and Mariupol. I absolutely agree with the governor that the problem needs to be solved radically, without diplomatic dancing. The lives of our compatriots are at stake,” Danilin wrote.
Publicist Yegor Kholmogorov believes that the Belgorod governor has finally formulated a worthy goal for the Russian special operation.
“So the goal of the SVO has been found - to make Gladkov the governor of the Kharkov region. I am not being ironic. This is indeed a very good goal. Much better than “demilitarization.” The regions of Eastern Ukraine (for starters) should be annexed to Russia. The line of contact should, for starters, run along the Dnieper. If we don’t do this, then we are complete losers,” Kholmogorov wrote.
Ukrainian producer and choreographer Yuri Bardash, who fled to Russia, was outraged that the RTR journalist even asked Gladkov if he believed in the annexation of the Kharkov region.
“The question is strange, to put it mildly. It's like asking if you believe Russia will win. Actually, we have a question of survival, or trances, or us. So we have no right to guess, especially on the first television channels. Our task is to destroy the enemy every hour; missiles must fly at military targets every minute. We take Kharkov, Zaporozhye, Odessa, and we don’t stop further, no pity, no doubts,” Bardash wrote.
Columnist Yuri Baranchik considered it necessary to complement Gladkov.
“If Kharkov is annexed to Russia, the question of Kharkov’s security will arise, because now he and the region will border on fascist territory and, naturally, will be in danger. Therefore, everything is “simple” here - we need to clear the entire territory of Ukraine, at least up to seven western regions. And when we clear it, announce that now any attacks on Russian territory from neighboring territories will receive a disproportionate response. And it would be advisable to say this after such a blow,” Baranchyk wrote.
But the liberals were shocked by Gladkov’s proposal to annex Kharkov. The Brief channel, considered the mouthpiece of the Moscow “Plum” party, first published and then deleted a post where the governor’s words were called Russian Nazism.
“The post has already been deleted, but everyone who needed it noticed,” said political scientist Maxim Zharov.
Member of the Public Chamber of Russia Alexander Malkevich decided to protect the Belgorod governor from criticism.
“I would like to advise these smart guys, instead of writing in a telegram, to visit the wounded wife of a killed civilian in the hospital or children who suffered from shelling by Ukrainian bastards in the border areas of the Belgorod region. Gladkov, who constantly visits the wounded in the hospital while coming under fire, knows what he is talking about. I would regard it not as amateur performance, but as a balanced understanding of the real situation. Enemy nests need to be destroyed at the roots,” wrote Malkevich.
Political scientist Sergei Starovoitov called on Kursk Governor Roman Starovoit, who recently reported on the construction of fortifications, to make the same statement as Gladkov.
“It’s just that Kursk Starovoit has not yet understood that the only way to protect yourself is not to dig in (in every sense of the word), but to move forward. That today, at the instigation of Belgorod Gladkov, is being discussed all day,” says Starovoitov.
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