Here are a few options to listen to this interview:
https://mailchi.mp/0722b0e798a5/the-russians?e=[UNIQID]
https://us11.campaign-archive.com/?u=227ee150fa6646b2df48fbfc0&id=9125dbb209
https://www.podomatic.com/podcasts/gutenburg/episodes/2018-04-29T10_32_28-07_00
http://www.blogtalkradio.com/countdownradio/2018/04/29/the-russians
(I hope these liks work. I am still away from home with no computer and just a tablet with spotty connections. If something needs fixing, I will do that when I come home. Cheers, The Saker )
Saker,
One of the best. Your information regarding Putin was extremely valuable. Your historical capsule of Russian history and civilizational development was a good briefing.
And naturally, the general SitRep of the new Missile Crisis at our doorstep sets the tone for our resistance to the Hegemon.
Terrific. I’ve mailed the link on to friends.
Good questioner. Excellent podcast.
The part about how the West labels Putin as a KGB “agent” instead of an officer like a soldier was an explanation that made a lot of sense.
The US intelligence agencies like CIA and NSA are large bureaucracies but calling everyone who works for them is a serial killing spy is ridiculous….which is what Putin has been labeled in the West for having any association with the KGB.
An interesting discussion Saker, thank you both.
I’d like to comment on your remarks regarding whether Russia is “Europe as far as the Urals”.
I firmly believe this is not only wrong objectively, but it’s use is dangerous for Russia.
It is a European invention – the idea firstly mooted by French, German and Scandinavian geographers, who argued extensively over where the “border” [of course, it is not a border, there is no border fence, no guards or controls as Russia is a unity] was. They first chose the River Don. However, the Don wanders as do most Rivers so they settled on the Urals. They first chose the beginning of the Urals, until they discovered the riches of minerals, especially diamonds, which the Urals holds and for some reason I find hard to fathom [ :-) ] moved the “border” to the far side.
Russia was not consulted at any point. It was a Scandinavian geographer who’s proposal was finally accepted.
This has been accepted by Russia by default – purely because, until now, she has never got up and refuted it. The danger of falling into the trap of “silence is taken to mean consent” has, I suspect, until now, been overlooked.
Europe was still a vague, and largely geographic idea until 1928 when Count Coudenhove – Kalergi decided that all of Europe should be made to become one people [ he wanted it to represent the Egyptians of the Dynasty period] without any national identity or boundaries. His reasoning for this was “to contain the Empire of Russia”
Countries including Turkey were invited – Russia was not. A booklet outlining the plans and objectives of “pan-Europe” was published in all languages – but not Russian.
I think when we add that to the history of Russophobia and invasions of Russia by “European” countries, we can see that Russia has never been accepted by the countries of what, when I was a girl, were called “The Continent” as one of them.
Russia, I suspect, has been bamboozled, at least a certain class has, by the “European Paradigm”, The meme.
This is to promote Europe as all that is grand, wonderful, the seat of civilisation, culture, Art, Law — all that is good. It carefully obliterates the religious and tribal wars, the Inquisition, the “Witch” burning, and so much that we know is horrific. Coffee house “elites” and “intellectuals” in Moscow and St. Petersberg I suspect, fell for the Paradigm, and wanted so much to leave behind the slurs of being a nation of uncultured peasants and be accepted as having now “joined the European elites”.
But to be “European ” is to be owned and mainly by Germany and France. Poland has recently learned this; Germany has gone to remove some ancient loved woodland in order to put in a lignite coal pit, on the grounds that it isn’t “Polish” so the Poles cant protest, it’s “European” .
The American Encyclopedia Britannica has a maps showing “The European Steppes” where the Russian Steppes used to be – and eliminated “The Taiga” saying it is merely a Russian language word for “wood”.
These are the way s in which succumbing to this urge to say “Russia is European as far as the Urals” take Russia.
It’ seems a small issue. It is not. It is a very subtle form of propaganda. However,r I see today from the meeting of President Putin with the Russian Geographical Society, that he has ordered a new “old” map of Russia to be drawn up and all the original Russian names put in where the Anglos have substituted their own.
I cannot say how happy this news has made me.
So we should all assist the Russian move to reclaim her historical territory – and never, ever succumb to the Balkanisation of Russia by referring to this AngloEuro “border” which would divide her – never accept that there is any such thing as “European Russia”.
Oh – finally, re Putin and his religion. His ex-wife answered a reporter who commented on their having had two daughters “did he never want a son?”. “No” she said “He never said anything about wanting a boy. He always said “whatever God sends us is good”.
So I think his religion goes back a long way at least – and is perfectly genuine.
Again, thanks for an interesting discussion.
Perhaps you are right about a Scandinavian defining Europe. I always though it was a German who moved the border fråm the Ukraine to the Urals.
Western Russia was populated by Finns and some Scandinavians. People there are mixed, but do they know it? It is sometimes visible.
Scandinavian Bjarmaland was in northern Russia and Finnish tribes lived here and there.
I see Russia as different from Europe. And better.
Very interesting points of view and factual background. A Scandinavian geographer at the beginning of the last century and a Swedish economist, Per Anders Åslund, laying the groundwork for Jeltsin’s destruction of Russia in the early nineties. Tentacles of the permanent, or deep, state.
And yet, Swedish Vikings, the Varangians, cooperated with the those who lay the ground for Russia. This is according to the Primary Chronicle about the Kievan Rus. “Rus” is from “Ros”-lagen north of Stockholm. We in Sweden and Finland should bear this in mind in these extremely Russophobic times.
The tentacles of the the permanent state reaches into Scandinavia as in all other corners of the world. I think and hope these tentacles will find it hard to really dig into the Swedish granite.
Your point about small actions laying the seeds for later catastrophes is a good one Lennart. Many “Black Swan” events can be traced back to some small, apparently insignificant event years before.
I think that, had Russia gone on silently accepting the terrible fate of those who have let others name and define them, it would have come back to cause her heart ache down the track. As we know, the Anglo Empire and Deep State are forever casting seeds via NGO’s, word usage, perception management. That they had the utter gall to label the Russian Steppes as the European Steppes in a major encyclopeadia is evidence enough of their creeping silent intentions in this business of calling Russia “Europe” and saying she is “Eurasian”.
Thankfully, Russia has spotted this, and has taken steps [sic] to fix the issue. Silence is always taken to mean consent – Russia just blew this one as well.
I am sorry you have to report such sorry news of Sweden. I dont know how accurate it is, but much I read of Sweden these days bears no resemblance to what I heard of the place when I was growing up in the UK.
I hope you manage to dislodge them before too long.
”Russia was not consulted at any point. It was a Scandinavian geographer whose proposal was finally accepted.”
Since the name of that geographer is omitted, my corollary question becomes: Could it be the Swede Sven Hedin (1865 – 1952) ? He travelled Russia on a very vast scale and mastered the Russian language as he went along. However, he was also a warmonger and a Russophobe with strong ties to Imperial Germany. Given his very high reputation in Swedish society, not least as an expert on ”all things Russian”, he knew he could lie forever about Russia’s ”perpetual expansionism” at Sweden’s expense and, hence, the need for her vasallage under Germany, the latter itching for land-grabbing in the East.
Bottom line: Sven Hedin looks like a credible culprit substituting ”European” for ”Russian” on the maps of Russia. Indeed, his authority as a geographer was corroborated to the hilt by his memberships in prestigious geographic and scientific societies far and wide. His reputation collapsed with that of Nazi Germany, but his Russophobia lives on.
No, he is not the one referred to in all my readings, Nussiminen, although he certainly sounds interesting, and a likely contributor the attempts made to land grab Russia by asymmetric means.
The man given “credit” currently is Philip Johan von Strahlenberg (1676–1747). Swedish born, he worked for the German Geographical Society [ sic].
There is a “map” in the current Geological Society magazine that makes me sick. They have the cheek to draw in brown a “border” cutting Russia in half, with what they are pleased to call a “disputed area” West of it, down the Urals. Disputed over what, by whom??
I so hope and pray that when the Russian Geographical Society redraws the World Atlas to reflect the truth and justice as Vladimir Putin stated is should, they put paid to this travesty once and for all.
I see Wikipedia claims that the then King of Russia agreed to Strahlenbergs’ claim!!
I’d like to see proof that he did. If he didn, then Russia today needs to publicly resile from it. Because if he didn’t – and it’s the first I’ve read of this – then they have made a move to try and say that Russia has long agreed to being divided into two with her most populous, richest Western third being given to “Europe”.
Wikipedia is, of course the alternatively known “CIA Factbook” and America owns Europe now and for the foreseeable future, so it’s no surprise it’s using one of its most famous publications to try an asymmetric sneaky way of getting it’s hands on Russia once Putin has gone.
”I see Wikipedia claims that the then King of Russia agreed to Strahlenbergs’ claim!!”
Haha, that proves irrefutably your most accurate assessment of Wikipedia as being the alternative CIA ”Factbook”. The King of Russia referred to would then, most likely, be none other than Peter the Great (Czar of Russia for more than four decades: 1682 – 1725). He would take no nonsense from any Western crackpot. Maybe it could be that one of the short-lived nobodies on the Russian throne between Peter and his daughter Elizabeth (Czarina of Russia 1741 – 1762) would give consent. It’s a recurring theme that, yes, Russia is ruled every once in a while by pro-Western imbeciles/traitors, but that Russia always produces sufficient antibodies to get rid of the smelly mold. Hence, expect some equally fabulous ”assertions” by Western historians that Russia was prepared to cede most of its territories during her ”Democratic experiment”, LOL.
Thanks for that Nussiminen – I didn’t get to go look up which King it was. True, the odd “Yeltsin” crops up now and again, I guess everywhere. I doubt they got anything in writing though. And yes, I’m expecting such “assertions” especially if President Putin’s new “World Atlas” most emphatically removes the “border” dividing Russia – named Eurasia on the Geo. Socy. map – which I am praying Russia will.
If not, I foresee some damage down the track. It they get another Gorbachev they can bribe to agree to the entire thing, making Siberia and the East “Asian Russia” and splitting the country, it could well be the end of Russia – a disaster for the world as well as Russia herself.
Of course, maybe the people themselves would rise up en masse against such a travesty.
Better that it be nipped in the bud now however.
von Strahlenberg is a name of German origin. I guess he was the son of a German military officer of which there were many in Sweden at the time.
Section 15 of the Terrorism Act (2000) https://www.legislation.gov.uk/ukpga/2000/11/section/15
(3)A person commits an offence if he—
(a)provides money or other property, and
(b)knows or has reasonable cause to suspect that it will or may be used for the purposes of terrorism.
Section 1 of the Terrorism Act (2000) https://www.legislation.gov.uk/ukpga/2000/11/section/1
(1)In this Act “terrorism” means the use or threat of action where—
(a)the action falls within subsection (2),
(b)the use or threat is designed to influence the government [F1or an international governmental organisation] or to intimidate the public or a section of the public, and
(c)the use or threat is made for the purpose of advancing a political, religious [F2, racial] or ideological cause.
(2)Action falls within this subsection if it—
(a)involves serious violence against a person,
(b)involves serious damage to property,
(c)endangers a person’s life, other than that of the person committing the action,
(d)creates a serious risk to the health or safety of the public or a section of the public, or
(e)is designed seriously to interfere with or seriously to disrupt an electronic system.
(3)The use or threat of action falling within subsection (2) which involves the use of firearms or explosives is terrorism whether or not subsection (1)(b) is satisfied.
(4)In this section—
(a)“action” includes action outside the United Kingdom,
(b)a reference to any person or to property is a reference to any person, or to property, wherever situated,
(c)a reference to the public includes a reference to the public of a country other than the United Kingdom, and
(d)“the government” means the government of the United Kingdom, of a Part of the United Kingdom or of a country other than the United Kingdom.
(5)In this Act a reference to action taken for the purposes of terrorism includes a reference to action taken for the benefit of a proscribed organisation.
There it is, the way to fight the UK government. At least within both the spirit and the letter of UK law, and with ample evidence to fulfilling the criteria of section 1!
Not so sure if you can “get” the UK government with the Law.
Mostly, it applies to private individuals.
There is such a thing as Parliamentary Privilege, although I have’t researched where it applies.
However, I strongly suspect that it would cover their actions where they can claim they were acting to protect the people.
Where they can and should be “got” is that they did one thing Privilege doesn’t cover them from and that is “misleading” or lying, to Parliament and thus to the people.
If a group of people can prove that May and Johnson deliberately lied to the House, they can be got on that.
In theory.
Getting the right people to do it is the problem. It’s like trying to find a lawyer willing to take on suing a doctor – professional courtesy etc. Like sharks.
hehe :) I think you are probably right, but I may just try this tax year: 30.3m taxpayers, £48bn on defence = £1600 on military spending per taxable head. say / 2 to approximate permanent armed military neutrality (approximately no foreign aggression), = try and fight them for £800 quid/year. Take it from the definition in 2000 (no ex post facto law), so 800*18 = £14,400.. happily pay it to a homeless charity, or the NHS instead! Now just to earn the bucks! :D
Isabella,
Lawyers sue doctors every day. That’s why malpractice insurance is so high and some docs are quitting.
Try getting a lawyer to sue a lawyer. Good luck!
LOL …. lawyers are sharks!
One would have to get it right real bigtime once – and a laughable idea would become a very bloody feeding frenzy.
Saker, all my admiration for your patience with this Anglo “misionnary in Russia in the 1990s”.
In fact you are the best political and spiritual missionnary these Anglos and their anglo-phile quislings could hope for. I wonder how many of them are aware of thar. Keep it up camarada.
Yes, I noted that “missionary” comment and bristled at it.
I have a Catholic priest friend I met in Vladivostok. On their website, they give their history of how the Catholics went to Russia especially after the Soviet, to bring God to a people who had been without Religion for so long. They say in V’stok that they are “bringing God to Russia”. I dont say anything – there’s probably no point in creating rows, but it makes me wonder how blind they can be to the land they’ve gone to.
Isabella, you and me both bristled, and ‘bristled’ is being kind. We had them here, too, before the Russian Spring, and having had the displeasure of speaking to them on a few occasions over the years, they generally got cut off at the knees when they mentioned, which they always did, that they were bring the ‘true’ Christianity to us. Mentioning to them that we were Christian for well over a thousand years, IOW over 700 years before ‘america’ was even thought of, often brought dead silence and an obvious desire on their part to move on to greener pastures. However, the ‘Baptist’ church on Simonka is still there. What I write has some truth to it and the actual location mentioned in the little tome is correct to the millimeter.
Auslander
Author
An Incident On Simonka https://www.amazon.com/dp/B01ERKH3IU NATO Is Invited To Leave Sevastopol, One Way Or The Other.
One thing that used to irritate me also, was when the Catholic monks would complain because they were restricted in what they could do – they claimed by a local Polish Eastern Orthodox Bishop, who had jurisdiction. They were not allowed to proselytise, although they could offer help to various institutions; they held Mass, but could not go out into the streets to publicise themselves.
I tried to point out that it is, after all, Russia, that she has had her own religion for at least 1000 yrs, that she has no desire to have an invading religion making life harder than it is now she is trying to build back to strength after the Bolshevik Years. But this was “Hmmmed” away as inconsequential, and other excuses offered.
I said little more, but my sympathies are all with the Orthodox Church. Her history is squeaky clean compared to Catholicism. I attended purely to support my friend, but some things made my blood boil. Like this guy – a “missionary” as if Russia were darkest Africa. Sheesh I was spitting !! :-)
Ты мой герой. Читать и слушать умного,образованного,человека каторий умеет передать важнейшую информацию, для меня ето подарок.
Желаю тебе и твоей фамилии счастия и здоровья
Серб из Чили
—————-
Google translated – from Mod:
You are my hero. To read and listen to intelligent, educated, human Catholics knows how to convey the most important information, for me it is a gift.
I wish you and your last name happiness and health
Serb from Chile
What he means with the translated ‘I wish you and your last name happiness and health’ should be ‘I wish you and your family happiness and health’.
Well, comments in MoA suggest Putin is blocking S-300 for Syria against his military’s advice and ZH are reporting that TV announcements are scheduled in Israel with airspace closures etc. Looks like Nato pawns+ in position and Nut-job is going to light the ME fuse. With Korea somewhat contained, Iran is on the menu. Oil to $100/b and the market all over the place. Just in time to spoil the football.
https://www.zerohedge.com/news/2018-04-30/israel-closes-airspace-near-syria-border-ahead-significant-netanyahu-speech-iran
Excellent. Plenty of informations for everyone and your analysis of President Putin is detailed and spot on. I also liked your description of the skripal foolishness. Anyone with the cognizance above that of a fried snail understands it was totally false and in case no one noticed, any part of that story has suddenly disappeared completely from eu news including uk.
As for the behind the scenes contacts and conversations between CehSha and Russia before the ludicrous missile attack, the old sergeant’s telegraph says the Russians were pretty stiff and unyielding, to whit, one Russian with one scratch or broken fingernail anywhere in Syria AO and it’s game on. Looks like CehSha blinked on this one, as they have on other occasions. Of course, one could also question the sanity, and cognizance, of Foggy Bottom/MSM et al in announcing they were going to bomb to bits the exact place that was making the ‘chemical weapons’, in the middle of a built up area, and risk, if they weren’t stretching the truth, thousands of the very civilian casualties they were so adamantly ‘defending’.
However, you also said an oft ignored, or unknown, truism in regards to Russian Armed Forces. In sheer might, US can eventually overwhelm almost everything Russia has besides ground troops. The question is will Uncle Sugar be willing to risk going nuke to do so and risk having every harbor and base from Nova Scotia all the way around to Gnome a smoldering ruin before and if it doesn’t go nuke, for that will surely be the result, and methinks the destruction will be not only coastal.
Auslander
Author
Sevastopol, The Third Defense. https://www.amazon.com/dp/B079KRPLS4 Book 1, A Premonition, The Move South
Never The Last One https://www.amazon.com/dp/B00ZGCY8KK A Deep Look In To Russia, Her Culture And Her Armed Forces
“Blessed are the peacemakers for they shall know G-d.”
It would be interesting to dissect the Aramaic and
scriptural context of this phrase to plumb its depth.
I’ll give you an Semitic/Arabic/Islamic point of view:
There were endless wars in the desert between the tribes, but there were also the role of a ‘Musleh’ from the Semitic root SLH (hard H), which means ‘to function properly’ or ‘to fix,’ these people will try to fix the relation between the tribes so life can function properly.
In islam ‘As-Slah’, ie the state of Sulh or proper functioning, is one of God’s (ie Allah’s) 99 names. You find today people named Abd-As-Slah meaning the slave/worshiper of As-Slah (ie God). As many divine names it represent a quality that human beings should strive towards: The Just, The Righteous, The Patient, etc…
Pharaoh in the Quran proclaims that he only wants Al-Islah for the people and so we see today how the US only talks about peace and peace plans while bombing people, indeed it is rumored that Trump will proclaim a new peace plan from the US Embassy in Jerusalem!
Peacemaking, ie Islah, is not a subjective stance that one can proclaim and be blessed because of his intention (this radical subjectivity is the heart of the Calvinist interpretation of faith & salvation dominant in the Angle-Saxon world). The proper functioning of life can and should be objectively gauged. The true peacemaker is the one who strives to make real peace when things function properly (planes bring goods not bombs, atomic energy make electricity not burn whole cities, etc).
SLH also appear in the Quran in the context of arbitration between a married couple before a judge grants a woman divorce and arbitration between two warring parties, these situations is when one can strive to be a peacemaker and be blessed.
The peace between the prophet and Makkeh was called Sulh, even though it was of limited duration. The prophet’s grandson Al-Hassin was a great peacemaker (as predicted by the prophet) ending the first civil war in Islam and the prophet’s great-grandson, son of Omar by Ali’s daughter, died when he was hit by a rock while trying to end a feud between two groups of Bedouins.
I myself try to stay away from quarreling people, you’ll only end up with egg on your face or a rock to your head, blessings notwithstanding.
A very interesting interview, as always from The Saker. However, I am surprised with the first part of the interview. The Saker does not mention the role of Swedish Vikings in the unification of Russia.
Before the Mongol invasions, we had the arrival of Swedish Vikings. Historians are in conflict if the Swedes came by force, or if they were invited to come. At any rate, they did come, and the first Russian state was centered in Kiev, not in Moscow or St.Petersburg. For those of you who don’t know it, the name “Ukraine” means frontier region, and the actual name is derived from the Slavic word “Krayina”, which means frontier. Ukraine was in fact the frontier region of the Russian state.
Historians estimate that Russians have 40 % Swedish Viking blood. All Russian blond girls are descendants of Swedish Vikings. The first Russian nobility was made up of Swedish Vikings, with some Finnish. The actual name of Russia is derived from the Scandinavian word “Rus”, and from “Rus” you get the name of Russia. Incredibly enough, few people know what the name of Russia means. It means “The Land of the Vikings”.
The Mongol invasions were an unfortunate episode in Russian history, as they postponed the full development of the Russian state. However, they had one huge benefit, namely with respect to Siberia. The Siberians, just like the Russians, could not forget the Mongol invasions. When the Mongol empire collapsed, the Russians offered the Siberians unification with Russia, which they accepted. Russia never conquered Siberia by brute force.
When it comes to Russian culture, it is certainly European. However, European in this context means Russian Orthodox, based on the Byzantine, Greek Orthodox faith and culture. Yes, Russians have from the 18th century onward accepted West European cultural, educational and scientific values, but not at the expense of Russian Orthodox values. Today in Russia you will find both. This is what makes Russia both interesting and fascinating.
Based on your assessment then, that Russia “accepted” European cultural, educational and scientific values then it seems that all of the Andean Nations are also “European”. I’ve never heard either anyone here or anywhere else so claim. Yet The Andean nation i am most familiar with likes to make wine, coffee, chocolate, and have little restaurants down little side streets with old Spanish architecture. They are Catholic, and church and plaza form the centre of all towns – just like Italy and Spain really. Yet you would be looked at as if you were insane to say they are “European”. They will tell you “Europe is that bit of the big Continent that sticks into the Atlantic – how can we be “European”.
Which of the “European values” is it that Russia has accepted?
Invading sovereign nations all over the nations and colonising them ? Nope
Burning women alive as “witches:? I dont think so.
Holding an Inquisition and killing thousands over imagined slights? I never heard if they did.
Acquiring slaves from Africa for the very rich?
Burning people alive who disagreed with the Eastern Orthodox religion?
Putting people in concentration camps and killing them by the millions due to their religion?
I admit I am very very sketchy about Russian History, but I suspect I may have heard of these things if Russia also did them as “Europe” did – but I haven’t.
You can’t “cherry pick” you see.
You can’t say “well the Winter Palace in St. Petersberg is very Italianate, and Russians love wine and cheese and good coffee and the coffee house “elite” in Moscow and St. Petersberg do copy a few things from Prague and Paris, so that makes them “European”.
It has to be all or nothing.
Please believe me, if you ever take a trip to Vladivostok, dont go telling the Russians there that they are “European” You’ll walk home with a very red throbbing nose!!
Isabella
You better read my comment carefully. I said European values based on the Byzantine, Greek Orthodox faith and culture.
The role of the Mongol conquests in Russian history remain highly controversial, especially since the late 19th century when the Eurasianist intellectuals began to contend that the Mongol conquest shielded Russia from Western crusaders and imparted the Imperial bureaucratic state traditions that made post-Mongol Russia much less prone to being partitioned by its dynastic factions as pre-Mongol Russia had been.
As for Siberia, the Russians definitely conquered it by force.
B.F, Svealand gave name to Sweden, the country. It can be translated as burned earth. That was done in order to farm and the first inhabitants were settlers from somewhere. Svealand was small Svitjod och Russia was big Svitjod. Some Russians say the settlers in Svealand were Slavic tribes. Others that they came from southern Sweden or from the continent. Our modern researchers know all about it, but tell us nothing.
Norway (Norwegen, Norwege) was the northern route, the northern way, Novgorod had to use when the Baltic was a very dangerous place. Goods from Novgorod were in high demand. Novgorod controlled parts of Finland, especially the valuable trading ports in the north.
The name Finland is probably related to vaner, kväner (the Swedish king used to be king also of Vende). Venesia (Jomsborg) and Venedig (Venice) may tell of a great Finnish past when goods were brought from the Baltic to southern Europe. Perhaps that explains the Hungarian language and the Vikings interest in Jomsborg. Money. Interestingly, Venesia sank into the sea and Venice is also under threat. The curse of capitalism?
Roslagen means the law of the Rus and also the teams of the Rus. One of my forefathers came from there and he had a round skull. It is possible a Swede is more Slavic than he knows.
Anonymous
History is an interesting subject, as there are many approaches to it. Toponyms give many clues as well as rise to different interpretations. Novgorod is derived from the Slavic word “nov”, which means “new”, and can thus be interpreted as “Newtown”. Venice is derived from the name “Veneti”, which is another name for “Slavs”, as in northern Italy you had until quite recently descendants of Slavs residing. The name of the German capital Berlin is derived from the Serb/Slavic word “brljin”, which means “poor” or “poor land”. The entire region of Berlin used to be inhabited by Slavs, until they were replaced by Germans. If you look at Prussian maps of Prussia in the first half of the 19th century, you will be astonished by Slavic names.
It is a fact that Swedish Vikings came to Russia and that they made their contributions. Then again, it can be argued that they returned to Russia, as Scandinavians originate from the North Caspian region of Russia, from which they moved to present day Scandinavia, to Sweden and Norway, and then to Denmark, the original Danes being Slavs. It is a fact that Russians have Scandinavian blood, just like Scandinavians have Slavic blood. Norwegians, for example, have approximately 30 % Slavic blood, a fact confirmed to me by Norwegians.
Now we are getting somewhere,B.F. We work together and contribute as best we can. Charles the Great mixed Slavs and Germans in present day Germany. Many Germans have a Slavic heritage. That can make us understand each other better. I can well believe some of my Swedish forefathers had Russian roots. I never had to pay tourist prices at Russian museums and a policeman passed me off as a Russian when I kept my mouth shut (I can only communicate simply). When did we get the roots? When Svealand (Svedjeland, Sweden, Svitjod) was settled or when the contacts were intense between the countries? Our DNA researchers are silent, but how they are interested in our kings.
I have also heard about the Caspian, but a competing theory is that the country was settled from Azov in Ukraine. The gods were called Aser. Azov, the court of the Aser, is easily recognized in Swedish. Hof of Aser in German.
Do you speak a Scandinavian language? There are many more than you think, because of the dialects that are not recognized. There are more than two Swedish languages. Here are the three most wellknown Nordic languages.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TILzPk767c4
I think of Novgorod as “ny gård” or new city. Like Nyskans before St. Petersburg.
Anonymous
No, I do not speak any Scandinavian languages. I have never been to any Scandinavian country. As for Sweden, I have the impression that Swedes are not too fond of Russians, which is strange, bearing in mind the contribution Swedish Vikings made to Russian history. Hope the attitude changes.
The problem started in the 14th century. King Magnus Eriksson was pressured by a Catholic representative to demand Novgorod converted or had to face war. The King was unwilling, but he was chanceless. The war was lost and he was blamed for that. He was deposed and the Orthodox Church says he converted on his deathbed in Valamo and made him a saint. A Swedish king is a Russian saint.
Then it continued. Ivan “the terrible” insulted Swedish king Gustav Wasa, but war was avoided. Charles the 12th was given a peace offer, but he ignored it and faced defeat in Poltava. French king Bernadotte gave us good relations with Russia and tsar Alexander came to visit. Then came the strong German influence and in our time the influence of the Empire. In my family, Russians have never been hated.
There was a strong Orthodox Church in the kings own city before Magnus. This history has been buried. The Church ruins are impressive.
Gustav Wasa came from Swedish Småland, the small kingdoms. It was called Samland and there was another Samland in one of the Baltic countries. I think of it as a collection of different tribes.
When the German knights took over the Baltic countries they encountered several different tribes. Now we only remember the Prussians (Russians, Rusyns, Rus).
The net makes a difference. Hidden history comes to light.
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Praying to solve a problem is a sign that someone lacks the ability to act. History of human race on Earth proofs it.
Really superb interview. The interviewer is an intelligent person, which added to the overall quality.
I do have one doubt, which I hope the Saker will address in a post or article at some point. Saker insists that the Russians are not Europeans in culture. I think that is evident. If only taking into account the fact of Orthodoxy in contrast to Catholicism and Protestantism, it should be obvious that they are like two different worlds. However, it is my impression that Putin has declared that Russia is European (I forget on which youtube location I heard him say this). If this impression is correct, it goes a long way towards explaining Putin’s and Lavrov’s seeming inability to properly evaluate the fundamental enmity of the AZ empire towards Russia.
Paul Craig Roberts has written about this various times. and in his latest article he makes the case again very forcefully. Does Saker fundamentally disagree with PCR’s opinion, or does he have a more nuanced disagreement?
I guess we could settle this almost ridiculously infected ”issue” regarding Russia’s Europeanness as follows.
YES:
Russian is a European language.
Russia is a predominantly Christian country.
Russia has left indelible marks upon European history.
The Romanov dynasty modernised Russia by copying contemporary Western European institutions and by acquiring Western European technical and scientific skills.
NO:
Russia didn’t prosper at the expense of the rest of the planet. Messianic fanaticism and the urge to genocide are not ingrained into Russian culture.
Russia has always been coveted by the Western powers for her immense resources. This makes Russia more of an oppressed country historically. Western Europe and its Anglo afterbirth to the west of the Atlantic are the World’s Oppressor Nations.
Liberalism and phoney individualism have very little traction in Russia. Education and science are appreciably better off.
Bottom line:
Vladimir Putin knows all this. He isn’t seduced or impressed by the rotting West and its disgusting self-worship. I, for one, honestly think it’s very good that the West keeps up its anti-Russian psychosis. What I’ve always feared is that some sweet-talking Zionazis could succeed in catching Russia unawares, but at the rate things are going the Zionazi West has evidently and irretrievably lost any ability to produce anything but confessed swine and scum. Putin’s March 1st speech shows that things are going in the right direction.
I think it would be good to get Saker’s take on this question. Nussiminen doesn’t address PCR’s points, and PCR is well aware of the various dimensions of the question, and has much experience.
As for the “Is Russia European or not,” it’s not a simple yes or no issue, as Russia lies between both Asia and Western Europe. Russia is clearly not a Western European culture in the full sense of the word, and the Europeans feel it. Russia has a unique history and a Christian confession different from that of the Catholics and Protestants. It’s a centuries old difference and divergence, and it manifests in many different and important ways.
Isabella: to say “That’s all I’ve heard him say” is not a sufficient rebuttal, since you may not have heard everything Putin has said. Of course Russia has elements in common with Western Europe, that is evident. But it also differs from all of them in important respects.
Is the Euro-trash worth saving at all ? Decadent, forever high on corporate mindrot and Cultural Marxism. That should be seriously considered by the Russian leadership.
In an informal forum with visiting young professionals Putin said that Europe and Russia share a “European space”. That’s all I’ve heard him say, not that Russia is European. He would have to know that he would have to make all Russia that, and to include the East and Siberia as such is absurd.
What I suspect is more accurate is to say that Europe and Russia constitute an Occidental Christian space. Those who dislike the world “occidental” – which means “West” – could use “Caucasian” Same thing.
What we are all is genetically and phenotypically and culturally “Western, White, and not negro and not Oriental”. Which is Caucasian. What we also are defined by is the common religion for over 1000 years – Christianity, in spite of it’s many forms and schisms.
Russia to the Pacific, and all of Europe, plus the Russia’s are Caucasian Christians.
The Near Abroad Stans and Central Land Mass Muslims.
The convoluted Russophobic obsessions which pertain to Liberalism have morphed into the Cultural Marxist contempt of European culture (minus its modern Euro-trash misculture manifestations such as Pussy Riot). According to this world outlook, Russians are hated both as anti-Liberal as well as European scum. That’s is in stark, vivid contrast to what used to be the West’s anti-Russian pet slurs (yet still quite significant in Hollywood movies): Racially inferior semi-Mongol brutes forever lacking any true European qualities, only capable of misappropriating by thievery and thuggery.
I think this is very good news. Given the fact that Western Liberals are at least 95% White and 100% Russophobic, the traction both of White bigotry and of Liberalism in Russia will remain insignificant.
George, I think PCR is wrong on this. Neither Putin nor Lavrov, nor Russians in general, have by now any difficulty in detecting the degree of rapacious animosity that the AZ empire shows towards Russia. It would be impossible.
I agree with Nussiminen that the one silver lining about this long shameless russophobic campaign we are witnessing, is the fact that it can only serve to reinforce in Russians what they’ve always known, but almost forgot during their naive attempt to join “the West” in the 90s. The repulsive nastiness of the russophobic campaign is likely to result in a much needed purge of all remaining sympathizers of the empire inside Russia. If there is one country in the world that has the capacity to turn to almost full autarky (if forced to) that country is Russia. But they won’t have to. All they need to do is detach from the rotten West and let it consume itself in its own rot. Worms have a purifying effect upon a corpse. Then, when nothing but the dry bones remain, and the stench is gone, it can go back and teach the skelleton how to dance, and maybe begin to flesh it. Time is on Rusia’s side. But it needs to be very vigilant and very prudent. And it needs to learn once and for all that it can never trust the West.
“And it needs to learn once and for all that it can never trust the West.”
I think PCR would agree. He doesn’t see the evidence that they have arrived at that point yet.
PCR: From the way the Russian government speaks, the Russians believe that Washington’s military actions in the Middle East for the past 17 years dating from the US invasion of Afghanistan, a still unresolved war, have to do with fighting terrorism. The Russians keep expressing the view that Russia and the US should join in a common effort to fight terrorism. Apparently, the Russian government does not understand that terrorism is Washington’s creation….
https://www.paulcraigroberts.org/2018/04/30/syrian-cisis-escalates/
At Isabella,
Thank you really for your comment very instructive. Still I dare aspire that after all this turmoil is over I can be a citizen of the one world, with no passport. I would be a member of my community as others would be members of their community a world full of diversity but we would all be members of the one human community. All human effort would be for cooperation and care. We would not take more from the Earth Mother then what we really need. LIve as simple as possible with all the time to express our true humanity which would be for everyones joy. A surreal dream? Better dream sometimes so it may become true.-
Stop the Empire’s war on Russia.
That can only happen if the true Russians like Soltzenisyn type purge Mat Rassiya from her mortal enemies, the Yevreis. Otherwise the enslavement of the population will continue forever. Maybe their lives will improve but still they will live under the Jewish Yoke. Ponimayesh tovarishchi?