Stirring Vladimir Putin Straight-Talk Address on Accession of Liberated Territories to Russia and Related Issues

by Stephen Lendman

Expressing support for the UN Charter right of self-determination — what no nation may legally abrogate — Vladimir Putin signed a document for Donetsk, Lugansk, Kherson and Zaporozhye of the former Ukrainian nation-state to join Russia.

Once approved by its Parliament and Constitutional Court, the above regions will become Russian republics, their residents automatically becoming citizens of the country — with all rights and benefits afforded all its people.

Vladimir Putin's address in the Kremlin's St. George's Hall was stirring.

When concluded, he and heads of the four regions signed documents for accession to the Russian Federation.

Then standing together for a historic joint handshake and photo op, Russian lawmakers, governors, and others attending the session rose from their seats and applauded approvingly.

Friday's session followed five days of open, free and fair democracy in action referendum voting from Sept. 23 - 27 — residents of the four regions overwhelmingly choosing to join Russia, clearly rejecting Nazified Ukraine's tyrannical rule.

Putin said the following to attendees on national television.

Stressing that residents of the above areas "made their unequivocal choice," he added:

"Today we will sign treaties on the accession of the Donetsk People's Republic, Lugansk People's Republic, Zaporozhye Region and Kherson Region to the Russian Federation."

"I have no doubt that the Federal Assembly will support the constitutional laws on the accession to Russia and the establishment of four new regions, our new constituent entities of the Russian Federation, because this is the will of millions of people."

It's their UN Charter right of self-determination, the inalienable right of all people everywhere.

In stark contrast to how hegemon USA and its Western vassals operate — in flagrant breach of the rule of law — Russia complies with its letter and spirit.

"Behind the choice of millions of residents in the Donetsk and Lugansk people's republics, in the Zaporozhye and Kherson regions, is our common destiny and thousand-year history."

"People passed (the torch of) spiritual connection on to their children and grandchildren."

"Despite all the trials they endured, they carried the love for Russia through the years."

"This is something no one can destroy."

"That is why both older generations and young people – those who were born after the tragic collapse of the Soviet Union – voted for our unity, for our common future."

"In 1991 in Belovezhskaya Pushcha, representatives of the party elite of that time made a decision to terminate the Soviet Union, without asking ordinary citizens what they wanted."

The Russian "people suddenly found themselves cut off from their homeland."

"This tore apart and dismembered our national community and triggered a national catastrophe."

"Just like the government quietly demarcated the borders of Soviet republics, acting behind the scenes after the 1917 revolution, the last leaders of the Soviet Union, contrary to the direct expression of the will of the majority of people in the referendum of 1991, destroyed our great country, and simply made the people in the former republics face this as an accomplished fact."

"(T)hey didn't know what they were doing (or considered the) consequences" of what would follow.

"But it doesn't matter now."

"There is no Soviet Union anymore." 

"We cannot return to the past." 

"Russia no longer needs it today."

"There is nothing stronger than the determination of millions of people who, by their culture, religion, traditions, and language, consider themselves part of Russia, whose ancestors lived in a single country for centuries."

"There is nothing stronger than their determination to return to their true historical homeland."

"For eight long years, people in Donbass were subjected to genocide, shelling and blockades" by US-supported and controlled Ukrainian Nazis. 

"In Kherson and Zaporozhye, a criminal policy was pursued to cultivate hatred for Russia, for everything Russian."

During referendum voting to join Russia, "the Kiev regime threatened schoolteachers, women who worked in election commissions with reprisals and death."

"Kiev (Nazis) threatened millions of people who (voted) to express their will" to join Russia. 

"The people of Donbass, Zaporozhye and Kherson weren't broken and had their say."

Let "Kiev authorities and their (US-dominated Western paymasters) hear me now."

"I want everyone to remember this."

The Lugansk, Donetsk, Kherson and Zaporozhye people are becoming "our citizens, forever."

"The decision has been made and Russia will not betray it." 

"We will defend our land with all the forces and resources we have."

"We will do everything we can to ensure the safety of our people." 

"This is the great liberating mission of our nation."

"We will definitely rebuild the destroyed cities and towns, the residential buildings, schools, hospitals, theaters and museums."

"We will restore and develop industrial enterprises, factories, infrastructure, as well as the social security, pension, healthcare and education systems."

"We will improve the level of security."

"Together we will make sure that citizens in the new regions can feel the support of all the people of Russia, of the entire nation, all the republics, territories and regions of our vast Motherland."

The US-dominated West "dropped their masks and show(ed) (the pure evil) they are really made of."

When Soviet Russia collapsed in 1991, hegemon USA and its Western vassals sought "to strike a blow…to weaken and break up Russia" beyond what occurred.

Their ruling regimes "always dreamed about" conquering and dividing Russia, "condemn(ing) (its people) to poverty and extinction."

They seek control over Russian territory and its vast resources, worth tens of trillions of dollars.

Their ruling regimes long ago abandoned the rule of law in pursuit of their diabolical aims — wars, state terror, illegal sanctions and other dirty tricks their weapons of choice.

"This explains their aggression towards independent states, traditional values and authentic cultures, their attempts to undermine international and integration processes, new global currencies and technological development centers they cannot control."

"It is critically important for them to force all countries to surrender their sovereignty to" the self-declared master of the universe USA.

Ruling regimes throughout Europe and Canada "agreed to become (US) vassals."

By going along with hegemon USA's aim to rule the world unchallenged, they "le(ft) behind humanitarian disasters, devastation, ruins, millions of wrecked and mangled human lives, terrorist enclaves, social disaster zones, protectorates, colonies and semi-colonies."

"They don't care. All they care about is their own benefit."

They want Russia colonized, partitioned and plundered, its people transformed into serfs.

"They do not want to see us a free society, but a mass of soulless slaves."

"They see our thought and our philosophy as a direct threat."

"That is why they target our philosophers for assassination."

"Our culture and art present a danger to them, so they are trying to ban them."

"Our development and prosperity are also a threat to them because competition is growing." 

US-dominated Western "ambitions of world domination have repeatedly (been) shattered (by) the courage and resilience of our people."

"Russia will always be Russia."

"We will continue to defend our values and our Motherland."

"The West is counting on impunity, on being able to get away with anything." 

Their ruling regimes flagrantly breached one "strategic security agreement" after another. 

"They insist on a rules-based order" — based on their rules in flagrant breach of the UN Charter and other international law, what no sovereign nations should accept. 

"Russia is a great thousand-year-old…civilization."

In compliance with international law,  it rejects what violates its letter and spirit.

The vast majority of people in Crimea, Donbass, Kherson and Zaporozhye refuse to accept the scourge of tyrannical rule by Ukrainian Nazis.

US-dominated Western regimes reject "national sovereignty and international law."

"Their hegemony has pronounced features of totalitarianism, despotism and apartheid."

"They brazenly divide the world into their vassals" over which they seek unchallenged control. 

"We have never agreed to and will never agree to such political nationalism and racism." 

For centuries, Western regimes pursued colonial domination over other nations to exploit them and their people.

For time immemorial, they've been hostile toward Russia for "not allow(ing) them to rob us" — the neoliberal 90s an exception under Western vassal Boris Yeltsin. 

During Russia's lost decade, "(t)hey called us friends and partners, but  treated us like a colony, using various schemes to pump trillions of dollars out of the country."

"We remember. We have not forgotten anything."

Western regimes pretend to be "bring(ing) freedom and democracy to other nations."

"Nothing could be further from the truth." 

"(T)hey suppressed and exploited, and instead of giving freedom they enslaved and oppressed."

"The unipolar world is inherently anti-democratic and unfree." 

Hegemon USA is the only country (ever to use) nuclear weapons twice, destroying Hiroshima and Nagasaki in" a defeated nation trying to surrender, what Roosevelt and Truman rejected.

During WWII, hegemon USA and Britain "reduced Dresden, Hamburg, Cologne and many other German cities to rubble, without the least military necessity."

They incinerated Tokyo and other Japanese cities in similar fashion, massacring hundreds of thousands of defenseless civilians in both war theaters.

They tried "to intimidate our country and the rest of the world."

The empire of lies and forever wars "left a deep scar in the (collective) memories" of people in one nation after another it raped and destroyed — including widespread us of chemical, biological and other banned weapons.

The self-declared master of the universe USA "continues to occupy Germany, Japan, the Republic of Korea and other countries, which they cynically refer to as equals and allies."

Nazified Ukraine is its latest colonized territory — the former nation transformed into a platform for perpetual war on Russia.

European nations lack leadership across the board.

By going along with US sanctions war on Russia, they self-inflicted harm on their sovereignty and people.

They're allowing their nations to be "deindustrialized" by bending to the will of a higher power in Washington.

Instead of condemning hegemon USA's shutdown of Nord Stream I and I by powerful explosions — delivered by Pentagon and/or CIA Unmanned Underwater Vehicles — they face the reality of lost infrastructure to deliver vital Russian natural gas.

There's no ambiguity about who gains and loses from what happened.

The self-declared master of the universe is "responsible (for the incident), of course."

"(C)rude force" and other dirty tricks reflect longstanding US policy in pursuit of its diabolical drive for global hegemony.

"(P)eople cannot be fed with printed dollars and euros."

"You can't feed them, (heat their homes or provide fuel for enterprises and households) with those pieces of paper."

"You need food" and energy at affordable prices. 

Western regimes aren't seeking "constructive ways out of the global food and energy crisis" — for what they bear full responsibility, what began long before US colonization of Ukraine. 

"They have no intention of solving the problems of injustice and inequality."

Their diabolical aims are worlds apart from pursuit of peace, equity and justice, according to the rule of law.

"The current neocolonial model is ultimately doomed."

The US-dominated West has "nothing to offer the world except (continuation of forever wars), plundering and racketeering."

Their ruling regimes "do not give a damn about the natural right of billions of people, the majority of humanity, to freedom and justice, the right to determine their own future."

Russia's worldview and policies are worlds apart from how US-dominated Western regimes operate — waging war on humanity at home and worldwide to benefit privileged elites at the expense of all others.

"(R)evolutionary transformation(al)" changes are happening.

"New centers of power are emerging."

"They represent the majority – the majority! – of the international community."

"They are (committed) to protect" their fundamental rights. 

"They see in multipolarity an opportunity to strengthen their sovereignty, which means gaining genuine freedom, historical prospects, and right to their own independent, creative and distinctive forms of development, to a harmonious process."

The US-dominated West's unipolar moment ended.

Multilateralism replaced it.

"The ongoing collapse of Western hegemony is irreversible."

"(T)hings will never be the same" again in our lifetimes.

Russia and its allies are leading a great struggle against US/Western "enslavement and monstrous experiments."

Vladimir Putin's historic remarks on vital issues concluded by quoting Ivan Ilyin, a figure he called "a true patriot," saying:

"If I consider Russia my Motherland, that means that I love as a Russian, contemplate and think, sing and speak as a Russian."

"I believe in the spiritual strength of the Russian people."

"Its spirit is my spirit."

"Its destiny is my destiny."

"Its suffering is my grief, and its prosperity is my joy," Putin adding:

For over "a thousand years," Russia controlled its destiny, what it continues doing.

Today, residents of Donetsk, Lugansk, Kherson and Zaporozhye "made (their own) choice…to be with their Motherland, to share in its destiny, and be victorious together with it."

"The truth is with us, and behind us is Russia," Vladimir Putin stressed.

Watching his address live on RT with English voiceover — nearly 5,000 miles away in Chicago where I live — I felt privileged to watch history unfold in real time.

There's no turning back.