THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: Russia’s invasion of Ukraine might have moved hearts across the world, but a group of people who gathered to celebrate Russia’s annexation of Crimea in the city on Friday chose to offer a different perspective. The Honorary Consulate of Russia in Thiruvananthapuram marked the eighth anniversary of the event by organising a seminar on ‘Crimea’s reunification with Russia’ at the Gorky Bhavan.
The seminar was attended by around 60 people who did not appear to be bothered by the insensitivity of celebrating a previous victory at the time of a full-blown war elsewhere. The event also saw international relations experts justifying the Russian invasion and blaming Ukraine President, Zelensky for standing his ground.
Academic Josukutty C A, who inaugurated the seminar, said the decision of the people of Crimea to reunify with Russia was a major milestone in the history of Europe. “The then President of Ukraine, Viktor Yanukovych, who believed that Russia and Ukraine should be together for establishing a better geopolitical world, extended the lease agreement for Crimea for 25 years.
That was against the wish of the neo-Nazi groups supported by the west. And hence they protested against the elected government. But the people of Crimea selected a peaceful method for ending the discrimination, and through a referendum, the peninsula became an integral part of Russia. This unexpected move provoked the neo-Nazis. The events that followed became a real security threat to Russia, and the current military operation is a calculated response to protect Russian borders,” said Josukutty.
In his address, Ratheesh C Nair, the honorary consul of the Russian Federation and the director of the Russian House in Thiruvananthapuram, said Russia had been left with no option and was hence forced to be involved in the “demilitarisation” process to eliminate the “neo-Nazi” groups from the region.
“Russia does not want any civilian casualties while moving ahead with the demilitarisation and denazification process. But Russophobia and Information war cannot stop the country determined to secure its borders,” said Ratheesh.
P P Amal, a research scholar with the Centre for Russian and Central Asian Studies, Jawaharlal Nehru University,, said NATO was responsible for the current European crisis. “Had the concerns of the Russian minorities in the region been addressed on international platforms, the conflict wouldn’t have taken place. Ukrainian President Zelenskyy, who is responsible for the current crisis, is celebrated as the hero because of the Russophobia created by some NATO members,” Amal claimed.