Invaders plan to create "Southern Russia" on the territory of Ukraine - media

KATERYNA TYSHCHENKO — Thursday, 28 April, 2022, 20:12

The Kremlin is considering a scenario for organising a quasi-formation called "Southern Russia" in the Ukrainian territories occupied by the Russian army.

Source : Radio Liberty project "Schemes"

Details : Plans to "found a new state" in response to alleged "terror and the totalitarian imposition of the ideology of Nazism and Bandera" are discussed in an intercepted document called the "Manifesto of the Southern Russian People's Council", which is in the possession of "Schemes" journalists. 

The journalists have analysed the document and identified those involved in the development of such a scenario among the leadership of the ruling United Russia party in the Russian Federation.

The "Manifesto" was created on 16 April. It was disseminated among those in the power circles of the Russian Federation in April.

The document begins with an explanation that the state of Ukraine, after the overthrow of the "legally elected president" in 2014, allegedly "lost legitimacy within the Ukrainian SSR".

"In response to terror and the totalitarian imposition of the ideology of Nazism and Bandera by the former State of Ukraine, we, in the person of the South Russian People's Council, take power into our own hands and establish a new state of Southern Russia," the "Manifesto" says.

Further, the document notes that this so-called "Southern Russia" is "the successor of Kyievo-Novhorod Rus, the Zaporozhian Sich", the so-called "New Russia of the times of Catherine the Great" and the Ukrainian SSR.

"We are building our state on the basis of understanding the historical and genetic kinship and unity of the triune Russian people of Ukrainians, Belarusians and Russians, fraternal friendship and mutual assistance," the authors of the "Manifesto" emphasise.

Orthodoxy is called "the foundation of our culture and identity", while the Ukrainian language is called a "dialect": "We recognise the Russian language, as well as the Ukrainian dialect, as a native language and the language of interethnic communication, with the equality of all languages ​​and nationalities."

The authors call the main goal of the so-called "Southern Russia" "the achievement and defence of peace", "the complete eradication of Nazism and Bandera". They also announce a "nationwide referendum".

"We recognise the freedom of the Crimeans and their right to express their will; we recognize the choice of Donbas. The state of Southern Russia, after a period of transition, will also exist and operate on the basis of the universal expression of the will of the people through a nationwide referendum, open to observers of all countries," the text of the "Manifesto" says.

At the same time, the document does not specify in which territories of Ukraine it is planned to form "Southern Rus".

The metadata of the document called the "Manifesto of the South Russian People's Council" helped to establish the alleged author, Roman Nikolayevich Romanov, and the date of its creation - 16 April.

Through the metadata of a document, one can also determine the organisation that owns the computer on which it was created. This is the PPP United Russia.

A person with that name really does have a direct relationship with the pro-Putin party ruling in the Russian Federation. Roman Nikolayevich Romanov is the Deputy Chairman of the Central Executive Committee of "United Russia". He graduated from the History Faculty of Tomsk Pedagogical University, where he later taught. He also heads United Russia’s higher party school.

According to Schemes’ sources in the law-enforcement agencies, this "Manifesto" has been passed from hand to hand. First, it was received by Andrey Turchak, First Deputy Chairman of the Federation Council of the Russian Federation Federal Assembly, Secretary of the General Council of the United Russia party.

Subsequently, according to journalists, Turchak handed the "Manifesto" on to another "United Russianer" Dmitry Gryzlov, an assistant to the sanctioned Russian businessman Konstantin Malofeyev, who is called the "sponsor of the war in Donbas" in the media.

The "Schemes" have not yet been able to contact the author of the "Manifesto" Roman Romanov or the deputy chairman of the Federal Assembly of Russia Andrey Turchak. Businessman Konstantin Malofeyev, having heard the journalist's question about the "Manifesto of Southern Russia", said that he did not communicate with journalists and hung up.