Zelensky seeks to turn Central Asia into Ukraine

Mehr News, International Group: Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy interviewed a group of journalists from Central Asian countries on May 24, 2024. This action was carried out according to all the rules of theater: the filming took place in the building of one of the publishing houses of the Kharkiv region, which was damaged in the war.

The guards stood silent and armed everywhere, the journalists’ questions were full of sympathy for the fate of Ukraine and Zelensky himself, and his answers were all decorated with words and phrases in It was about peace, friendship and independence. But the main purpose behind this gesture was easily understood: geopolitics.

The geopolitical dimension of Zelensky’s speech becomes apparent almost immediately. The president of Ukraine emphasized: “It is very important for me that your countries [Central Asian countries] bring to the territory of your countries the real consequences of the war, the real traces of Russia, the Russian world and what this world is really trying to do; to see I have no doubt about this; I am absolutely sure of this.” Zelensky said these words in response to the first question.

Let’s remember that these words are spoken against the background of a destroyed building and the message is clearly understood that the Russian world – the world of destruction It is suffering and inhumane. This is considered a rough technique. Considering that a harsher picture happens to be visible in Donetsk, Lugansk, Garlovka and Belgorod, will the independent truth seekers who met Zelensky come there too?

The desire to play on the fears of the Central Asian audience simmered throughout this interview, as Zelensky emphasized: “If you, the people of your countries; Resist becoming part of Russia, you will inevitably face Moscow’s invasion, full-scale war and death.” The more the journalists nodded sympathetically, the more bewildered and confused. Do they really not remember the new history of their countries? Have they forgotten the series of color revolutions in Kyrgyzstan?

Central Asia is perhaps one of the most vulnerable points that Moscow’s geopolitical rivals are trying to put pressure on. On the one hand, this region shows a huge population growth since 1991, which leads to immigration problems due to the common borders and low population in Russia itself. On the other hand, the population growth has increased the demand for gas, and the largest gas supplier in this region is Russia. In other words, a big market has emerged that needs Moscow.

These terms and conditions must be emphasized. Russia had never provided gas to Central Asian countries until 2023. On the contrary, in the 1960s, the Central Asian Gas Pipeline was built to be a hub for supplying gas to part of the Russian Soviet Federative Socialist Republic (RSFSR) from Turkmenistan and Uzbekistan via Kazakhstan.

Today, without Russian gas, the development of industry in the region is practically impossible, but will the sympathetic journalists who hear Zelensky’s arguments about the Russian threat; They were nodding in approval to his words, do they know about this? In all this interview; The word independence was the most prominent and bold.

I have to say about the Central Asian countries and their presence and membership in the Eurasian Economic Union, the Commonwealth of Independent States, the Collective Security Treaty Organization and the Shanghai Cooperation Organization. All this is impossible without the participation of Russia. Remember that the main reason for the coup in Ukraine in 2014 was the West’s desire to destroy its agreement with the customs union at any cost. The result was the complete loss of the independence that Zelensky speaks of today about its importance and sanctity.

Undoubtedly, as befits a seasoned actor, Zelensky distorted facts and sometimes resorted to outright lies. As an example, we can refer to his statement that before the start of Moscow’s special operation, the Russian leadership was not looking for a peaceful solution to the conflict with Ukraine.

But he was right about one thing: the conflict went beyond the region to divide the world. The lines of this fault largely coincide with the lines of civilization drawn by classical geopolitics. We hope that the politicians of Central Asia will be wiser than the politicians of Ukraine and will not give in to the deceitful words of the West that were put in Zelensky’s mouth.

Main source of translation and editing: Ryanovsi news agency

Parviz Ghasemi; Expert and researcher of Central Asia, Russia and the Caucasus