Ukraine should be renamed ‘Russia-1’ as means of ‘trolling of the highest order’ against Moscow, says famous journalist Gordon

Ukraine should be renamed 'Russia-1' to show its status as the birthplace of Russian society, leaving Moscow to be the capital of 'Russia-2.' That's according to a famous Kiev-based journalist, who called the idea "trolling."

Dmitry Gordon's idea came after a serious suggestion by Alexey Arestovich, an adviser to Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky, who claimed that Ukraine is actually Russia and Kiev should change the country's name to 'Rus-Ukraine' in order to reclaim the branding of being Russians.

"But I would have gone further," Gordon said. "I would call Ukraine then Russia-1 so that Russia would be Russia-2. That would be trolling of the highest order."

While Gordon's suggestion was in jest, Arestovich was completely serious. The official stressed that Kiev must attempt to change Ukraine's historical destiny and reclaim Russian identity.

The word Rus goes back to Kievan Rus, a former East Slavic monarchy considered to be the progenitor of the modern states of Russia, Ukraine, and Belarus. This federation of various peoples had its capital in Kiev until it disintegrated in the 13th century.

"We need to take the brand 'Russians' away from them. We could ensure that our war is correctly called the 'Russian-Russian' War," Arestovich said. "I would call us Rus-Ukraine. I would make a double name. We are working toward that."

He also claimed that he came up with this idea in 2009, far before the current crisis in the relationship between Moscow and Kiev.

Despite the close relationship between Russians and Ukrainians, who Russian President Vladimir Putin has called "one people," current politics in Kiev are seeking to divide the two populations.

On Sunday, a monument to the long-standing friendship between Kiev and Moscow, erected in 2001, was removed after years of being defaced by pro-Ukrainian nationalists. Local councilor Alina Mikhailova of the pro-Western Golos party celebrated the move, saying that "any place glorifying an occupying state" is "spitting on the soul" of thousands of dead Ukrainians.

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