"Novorossiya" ideologist claims Russia has no borders and will expand in all directions – ISW

Vladislav Surkov, former adviser to Kremlin ruler Putin and chief ideologist of the "Novorossiya" project, which aims to annex southeastern Ukraine and Crimea, has stated that the ideology of the Russian World (Russkiy Mir) "has no borders", meaning Russia will continue to expand its influence in all directions.

Source: ISW

Details: Surkov, known as the ideologist behind the "Novorossiya" project, voiced Russia's expanded imperial ambitions in an interview with the French weekly L’Express. He claimed that the ideology of the Russian world "has no borders" and exists "everywhere there is Russian influence".

Surkov also stated that Russia would achieve this strategic goal, which he claimed had remained unchanged since Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine in February 2022, despite potential "manoeuvres, slowdowns and pauses" along the way.

Surkov said that bringing Ukraine back into Russia’s sphere of influence had been an objective since the collapse of the Soviet Union, referring to Ukraine as an "artificial political entity".

Surkov believes that the Russo-Ukrainian war will "separate the Russians and the anti-Russians" and "confine" the latter within their "historical territory" so they "stop spreading across Russian soil".

When asked about Russia’s borders, Surkov claimed that the ideology of the Russian World has no limits and exists "everywhere there is Russian influence" – be it cultural, military, economic, ideological or humanitarian. He stated that Russia "will spread out in all directions".

Analysts emphasise that the Kremlin has repeatedly used the concept of the Russian World to justify military interventions in former Soviet republics, arguing that the territories of the former USSR and Russian Empire are historically Russian lands.

Quote: "The Kremlin has used the ‘Russkiy Mir’ narrative for decades to justify Russian aggression in Ukraine, Georgia, and Moldova and to set conditions to influence independent countries once colonised by the Soviet Union and the Russian Empire.

Putin and other senior Russian officials have repeatedly propagated pseudo-history to deny Ukrainian statehood and nationhood and have falsely asserted that Ukraine's Western neighbours have legitimate claims to Ukrainian territory in an effort to sow division between Ukraine and Europe."

To quote the ISW’s Key Takeaways on 22 March:

• US Special Envoy to the Middle East Steve Witkoff uncritically amplified a number of Russian demands, claims and justifications regarding the war in Ukraine during an interview on 21 March.
• Vladislav Surkov, a former close adviser to Russian President Vladimir Putin, recently reiterated a number of longstanding Kremlin claims and ambitions that directly contradict Witkoff's assertions in an interview with French media aimed at Western audiences. [N.B. Ukrainska Pravda does not recognise Putin as president – ed.]
• Surkov's statements are consistent with those made by Putin and senior Russian officials, who have recently and repeatedly stated that Russia intends to bring Ukraine under Russian control and establish suzerainty over neighbouring countries in order to weaken the West and strengthen Russia's global influence.
• Witkoff uncritically repeated several inaccurate Russian claims regarding the status of the Ukrainian territories that Russia illegally occupies.
• Witkoff's statements undermine US President Donald Trump's stated desired end state for the war in Ukraine that achieves an enduring peace and is in the best interests of the United States, Ukraine and Europe.
• Ukrainian forces recently advanced near Pokrovsk, and Russian forces recently advanced near Siversk and Pokrovsk and in western Zaporizhzhia Oblast.
• The Kremlin continues to innovate new ways to leverage conscripts to increase the pool of servicemembers eligible for military service in the future.

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