Russian Security Council Secretary Nikolai Patrushev, reputedly one of the few people whom Vladimir Putin listens to, gave an interview to Izvestiya prior to the May 9, Victory Day celebrations.[1] The interview was harshly critical of the West for whitewashing fascism and Nazism that it had previously enabled. NATO's eastward expansion, Patrushev charged, followed the footsteps of Napoleon, Kaiser Wilhelm, and Hitler in their attempts to conquer and subjugate Russia.
In addition to the familiar accusation that the West believes that it exclusively enjoys the right to prosperity and wellbeing, Patrushev advances another theory of Western malevolence. According to him, the Americans, like the ancient Pompeiians, are living at the foot of a volcano, in this case Yellowstone. The fear of Yellowstone becoming active and spewing lava and ashes across the United States precipitates a rush to control the territory of Russia that are safe from the effects of the eventual volcanic erruption.
The interview with Patrushev follows below:
Nikolai Patrushev (Source: Smotrim.ru)
"Whether Attired In A Tuxedo Or A Uniform, Fascism And Nazism Represent Absolute Evil"
Q: "Nikolai Platonovich [Patrushev], we are chatting on the eve of the 78th anniversary of the victory in the Great Patriotic War. It's no secret that in today's world, especially in the West, many want to forget this date as soon as possible, to play down our country's role in the Second World War. What do you think of such a campaign?"
A: "The formation of the United Nations was an important outcome of the Second World War. The Soviet Union played a key role in its establishment and took one of the leading positions within it.
"With the collapse of the USSR, Washington and London thought they had a chance to create a unipolar world. Even today, the Anglo-Saxons do not renounce these ideas. The West considers the destruction of Russia or its reduction to a third-rate country under external control as the radical way to change the world order.
"But their wishes did not take account of our state's strength nor the Russian people's will to independence. For that reason, in seeking domination, the Anglo-Saxons are trying to revise the outcome of the war, to deprive Russia of its status as a victorious nation and its permanent membership in the UN Security Council, to rewrite history, and to force us to forget the heroic feat of the multinational Soviet people.
"Attempts to distort the history of the Second World War began in the West even before its last gunshots died down. Already in the early stages of the conflict, attempts were made in England to publish a collection of forged documents in order to place on the Soviet Union the major blame for the outbreak of war in Europe.
"Today's specialists on falsifying facts shamelessly try to equate the aggressive ideology of Nazi Germany with the communist ideas of the USSR, but in fact use stock phrase of their predecessors."
Q: "In this case, the [policy of] forgetting history in the West is accompanied by a silencing of the anti-human nature of fascism. How do you explain this tendency to rewrite history?"
A: "What else can they do, but silence the facts? There are many irrefutable facts about the Anglo-Saxon officials sharing fascist ideas and supporting Hitler financially and organizationally. And today they have to preserve a 'democratic' face.
"No matter whether attired in a tuxedo or a uniform, fascism and Nazism are absolutely evil, no matter what clothes they wear. Nevertheless, the Anglo-Saxons willingly revive the neo-Nazi ideology in order to solve modern geopolitical problems. Such experiments lead not to [world] domination, but to global catastrophe, so they must be combated harshly and uncompromisingly."
Q: "Some Western experts argue that global domination is necessary for the West in order to safeguard its own economic prosperity. Does it appear that Russia has been historically preventing it from doing so?"
A: "In this sense, it is even possible for one to agree with them. Russia is like a bone stuck in the throat of the West, which tries to create its own world order. More than a hundred years ago, English geographer [Sir Halford] Mackinder formulated the famous theory of the geographical axis of history and the so-called 'Heartland,' that is, the middle lands that Russia occupies. He argued that control over Hartland meant dominion over the 'World Island,' as he called Eurasia. He argued that dominance over the Heartland creates the basis for control over the Eurasian landmass, which in turn leads to global dominance.
"The idea of isolating our state by means of a so-called 'cordon sanitaire', comprised of the small countries of Eastern Europe, was also his idea: An initiative to separate Ukraine from Russia, as well as other ethnic border regions of the former Russian Empire, also originated with Mackinder. So many years have passed, but their aims have not changed."
Sir Halford Mackinder (Source: Inosim.ru)
Q: "So Western geopolitics is still developing along his models?"
A: "The anti-Russian Western global strategy has not changed over the centuries. I recalled Mackinder in connection with the fact that he was one of the first to summarize a theory of numerous aggressive 'crusading' campaigns by the so-called Western civilization against Russia. Even NATO's eastward enlargement is moving in the same directions as Napoleon, Kaiser Wilhelm, and Hitler [in their attacks on Russia].
"All the major aggressive campaigns against our country have been conducted to ensure its elimination as a major geopolitical force in Eurasia.
"Immediately after World War II, the U.S. worked out a series of plans to destroy the Soviet Union, intending to destroy dozens of Soviet and Chinese cities with inhumane atomic weapons. Impunity after the nuclear terror against the Japanese people after the bombing of Hiroshima and Nagasaki prompted them to this decision."
"European Politics Today Is In The Deepest Moral And Intellectual Decadence"
Q: "U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken, while delivering a speech in Japan, discussed the human suffering inflicted by the nuclear bombings. But he deliberately kept silent about the fact that Washington had carried them out. Why do you think he did not condemn the very possibility of nuclear conflict?"
A: "There is nothing surprising here. Americans do not know what war is at all. On their continent, the last battles died down in 1865. They have not experienced the horrors of blockades, devastation, famine, concentration camps, nor did they lose millions of lives. That is why their elites easily talk about the need to arm, and inflict a military defeat on Russia, and prepare for new wars.
"They [the Americans] violate international agreements and unceremoniously prepare to resume full-scale nuclear testing. They cynically decide to hand over technology for constructing nuclear-powered submarines to Australia under the AUKUS military association."
Q: "But Europe is actually located at the epicenter of events in this conflict. Are there politicians there capable of assessing the developments objectively and avoiding the path Washington is proposing?"
A: "European politics today is experiencing the deepest moral and intellectual decadence. A prime example is the Munich Security Conference, where Western politicians come together only to read each other's 'State Department handbooks.'
"Upon creating the mechanisms of the North Atlantic Alliance for its own purposes, the U.S. has essentially occupied Europe. Placed in a situation of despair, European officials have turned the Old World into an economic base for American experiments, dutifully fulfilling NATO's military objectives. In turn, NATO's Pentagon-led command directly cooperates with arms manufacturers, simply ignoring the official authorities of other countries.
"NATO's enlargement allows Washington to put additional Eastern European territories under its control. The algorithm for the accession of new countries to the alliance is quite illustrative in this regard. It prescribes swearing allegiance to the 'master' by transferring the ratification documents to the U.S. government rather than to anyone else."
Q: "The West provides theories and justifications for any of its actions. For instance, European elites have taken very seriously the concept of [Huxley's] 'Brave New World' founded and headed by the Klaus Schwab World Economic Forum, which presupposes the creation of a prosperous life only for a certain group of people. Is it possible to argue that their actions are now dictated by this very concept?"
A: "According to the theories of Schwab and others like him, the 'the brave new world' does not apply to Russia and its residents. In line with its plans, the West steadily tightens political, military, and economic pressure on our country.
"NATO deployed additional troops on the Eastern European countries' territory. About 60,000 U.S. troops are deployed in the region. The alliance modernized the military infrastructure near our borders and increased the scale and intensity of operational and combat training of its servicemen. It supplies equipment and arms to Ukraine and has opened dozens of soldier training centers for the Ukrainian troops.
"[The West] falsely claims the importance of fighting terrorism, the West actively uses terrorist and extremist organizations against Russia, deploying the same methods they used in the 1990s in the North Caucasus.
"Western intelligence services train of terrorists and saboteurs to commit crimes on our country's territory, counting on inspiring fear in the Russian population and undermining the constitutional cornerstones of our state.
"During the freezing of Russia's assets, the Anglo-Saxons are employing patterns tried and tested by England back in the 1920s, when London unscrupulously appropriated the gold reserve of the Russian Empire."
"The West Is Trying To Destroy The Foundations Of All-Russian And National Identity"
Q: "However, aside from pressure on Russia itself, the West is also actively using information and psychological pressure on the Russians. What, in the end, is its ultimate goal?"
A: "The West is trying to undermine the internal unity between our country and people, to demoralize our citizens, to impress upon them a sense of inferiority. Entire institutions in the U.S. and Europe are working tirelessly to draw up the most insane pseudoscientific theories. These [theories] justify the necessity for reformatting the consciousness of Russians, of their need to repent to fellow citizens of other nationalities and confessions, who allegedly find themselves under the so-called 'imperial yoke.'
"At once, several American foundations are actively introducing to the Washington elite their academic papers, hastily written at the request of the U.S. Department of State and the U.S. Department of Defense, under the heading 'The Failed State: A Guide to Dismembering Russia.' The main bet, according to the authors, should be made on the creating and maintenance of instability in Russia's neighboring states, as well as information warfare, including support for the 'fifth column' and incitement of separatism within Russia.
"Just the structures of George Soros, who, incidentally, betrayed his fellow Hungarians to the Nazis during World War II, allocate 800 million USD annually for fictitious videos, staged photographs and fakes to be propagated via social media platforms.
"The West is trying to destroy the foundations of all-Russian and national identity by doing its best to impose innovations alien to us, such as gender diversity and historical revisionism."
Q: "Are we capable of thwarting this historical aggression?"
A: "Russia's opponents are accustomed to abusing our kindness and generosity. The apologists of anti-Russian ideas, nurtured by the Westernizers, who propagate liberalism and reject the notions of homeland and love for the fatherland, are 'grist to the mill' of the enemy.
"Out of concern for the state's future, we should firmly insist on our national interests, our culture and history. The Western propaganda machine misfires when it faces honor, nobility [of character], firmness of spirit, and unshakable morality particular to our people. Traditional spiritual and moral values should be fully supported and strengthened, while pseudoscientific Russophobic theories that have become the basis for aggressive anti-Russian actions should be debunked."
Q: "Let's discuss pressures of a different kind. Do you believe it is true that the West is trying to acquire control over Russia's natural resources by using the climate issue?"
A: "The U.S. and their European 'clients' unabashedly allow themselves to promote from podiums of international organizations the idea that all states of the planet [can] use Russia's water resources.
"They shamelessly 'juggle' the data [to argue] that alleged fresh-water reserves in Russia do not correlate with the population numbers and economic activity of the country. Biased Western scientists and politicians have the nerve to categorically state that only the countries of the collective West are rightly entitled to use the world's available natural resources, while Russia supposedly received them unfairly. With such statements, the West practically admits that it cannot do without Russia's natural resources."
Q: "Germany recently shut down its last three nuclear power plants, withdrawing from the use of nuclear power. What do you think Berlin is counting on?"
A: "By pushing for a reduction in generation capacity, the German government is depriving the national economy of energy-intensive production. Renewable energy, on which European officials are placing their bet, will not be able to fully replace the energy that was generated by nuclear power plants. Nuclear power is not just a reliable source of electricity but also one of the ecologically cleanest ways to generate electricity.
"Over the past 20 years, Europe has already lost a quarter of its total forest mass due to increased logging. About 60% of renewable energy is being generated from biomass material, almost half of which comes from forests. At this rate, Europe will be left without forests at all.
"Saddling up to the environmental agenda, European officials have categorically ignored arguments by professional environmentalists regarding the benefits of energy cooperation with Russia."
"The Safest Places Will Be Eastern Europe And Siberia"
Q: "The reliability of alternative energy sources is rather tentative. For instance, the eruption of volcano Shiveluch in Kamchatka put solar panels out of action. And Shiveluch is not Vesuvius or the American Yellowstone, which is considered the world's most dangerous dormant volcano..."
A: "You just mentioned the Yellowstone volcano, didn't you? Should it become active, this would be an unprecedented disaster. It is capable of eruptions thousands of times greater than what is known to mankind. Observations demonstrate that over the years, the volcano's activity has been increasing, with magma reaching the surface at great speed. The number of earthquakes in the vicinity of the surrounding caldera is also growing, reaching 2,000 per year.
"The studies carried out have made it possible to simulate the course of the hypothetical eruption and its consequences. The death of all living organisms in North America is thought to be inevitable.
"The majority of the world's population will suffer from a chain of other volcanic eruptions, earthquakes, tsunamis, and acid rain. But it is the people of America, not its politicians, who are concerned.
"The problem of protecting the population and economic infrastructure from the destructive power of volcanoes requires the development of scientific research in the field of volcanology. Western countries, which are engaged in obsessively increasing the number of sanctions [against Russia], should not 'fence' themselves off from Russia, but continue to cooperate in the scientific field, including geology.
"Research and achievements in the interests of progress and the preservation of human life should be made available to all mankind.
Morning Glory Pool – Yellowstone National Park (Source: stock.adobe.com)
"Meanwhile, the American authorities, with their 'Yellowstone problem' should wish to recall the conventional English proverb that states that 'People, who live in glass houses should not throw stones.' Washington that decides the fate of other states and nations, should remember that the ancient Romans in Pompeii also lived in prosperity and were no strangers to debauchery.
"Incidentally, some people in America claim that Eastern Europe and Siberia would be the safest places in the event of a possible [Yellowstone] eruption. There apparently lies the answer to the question of why the Anglo-Saxon elites are so keen to get their hands on that very Heartland."
Q: "Humanitarian disasters and their proximity should prompt countries towards mutual understanding, not conflicts. However, the global experience with COVID-19 pandemics has proved the reverse. Do you think that in the case of a new problem of a similar scale appearing, the experience of countries being disunited will repeat itself? Or do people still view the situation differently than their governments do?"
"It should be kept in mind that the U.S., like other unfriendly countries, is home to many citizens, who are positively inclined towards Russia. Well-meaning Americans and Europeans may well ignore Washington's anti-Russian propaganda and come to our country and become citizens of Russia, provided they comply with Russian law and respect our culture.
"Incidentally, the number of people wishing to choose Russia as their permanent place of residence is growing. Most of them are deeply believing Christians, who are close in spirit to the moral and ethical values that are guarded in Russia but have long been trampled on in America.
"For the record, the number of U.S. citizens who have obtained other countries' passports has tripled over the past year. The myth of the proverbial 'American dream' has been debunked.
"Today, the U.S. has literally slid back into the Middle Ages. The U.S. authorities silently observe atrocities of radicals, forcing citizens to bow down to BLM activists. A growing media persecution can be called a true witch-hunt. In the past two years, there have been more than 300 attacks on journalists in the U.S. Dozens of journalists have been arrested and convicted simply for carrying out their professional duties, i.e., reporting on topics the authorities prefer to keep quiet about.
"Domestic political processes in the U.S. are acquiring a turbulent and unmanageable character due to irreconcilable differences between elites, corporations, and power structures."
Q: "[This very] turbulence can be observed not only within this country, but also outside it. And all this is happening against a backdrop of natural disasters and ongoing economic crises. In your view, then, why does the U.S. need Ukraine under these conditions?"
A: "Ukraine is only needed by the Americans as an object of ruthless exploitation of available natural resources. Following such a neo-Nazi line, Washington has already turned it into a territory that millions of people are fleeing en masse, seeking protection abroad from socio-economic problems and pro-fascist oppression.
"Thirty years of upheaval orchestrated by Washington in Ukraine has led to a twofold decrease in the country's population. And today the White House easily passes a decision to continue its war with Russia till the last Ukrainian. At the same time, preserving Ukraine as a state is not part of the U.S. plans."
[1] Iz.ru/1504870/viktor-filippov/sokhranenie-ukrainy-v-kachestve-gosudarstva-v-plany-ssha-ne-vkhodit, May 3, 2023.
