The second coming of the Soviet Union? Russia, Belarus, and Ukraine will one day reunite, says Moscow professor
Russia, Belarus, and Ukraine will “sooner or later” reunify into a single state, as they share a common Orthodox-Slavic culture, according to Vladimir Sokolov, Professor at Moscow’s RANEPA university.
Sokolov, who teaches in the Department of Civil Service and Recruitment Policy, believes the three neighboring countries will reunite, prompted by the “general decline of Western values.”
In an interview with Moscow tabloid Moskovskij Komsomolets about his new book ‘Russian Mentality: Historical Paths of the Fatherland’, the professor claimed the “civilization of the Eastern Slavs” needs to decide whether it should head down a path with Western European countries, or follow its own route.
“It will be a tragedy if modern Russia, Ukraine, and Belarus do everything in the same way as the West,” Sokolov said. "When America fades away, all who’ve chosen its path will disappear along with it. Only those who went their own way … will survive.”
When questioned about Belarus, the professor rejected the idea that the country should look to the West, despite its location in the center of Europe. “In terms of mentality, history, lifestyle, and culture, these are people who primarily belong to the Slavic world,” he said. “All the people living in the three Slavic republics of the former Soviet Union need to understand that we are weakened if we are apart.” According to Sokolov, Russian, Belarus, and Ukraine are a “force” if they stick together, but separately are “easier to destroy.”
Russia and Belarus have officially been part of the ‘Union State’ since 1999, meaning the citizens of each country have the right to move freely between the two, and can settle without the need for a visa. When signed, the aim was to eventually reunite the nations into a single entity, with its own common head of state, parliament, and court. However, 21 years later, these plans have never come to fruition.
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