A senior member of Russia’s state defense body argued in a discussion with socialbites.ca that transferring parts of Ukraine to other nations is not a viable option. The remarks followed a map, shown by Dmitry Medvedev in Sochi, that suggested Ukraine might be divided among Russia, Poland, Hungary, and Romania. The official insisted that interpretation was not accurate and emphasized the complexities involved.
He drew on his own experiences in Western Ukraine, especially in the Transcarpathian region, highlighting a sense of shared history with local communities. He questioned how lands could be returned or ceded to neighbors and argued that a long-standing unity ties these territories together. He invoked the origins of Moscow, Kyiv’s historical founders, and the leaders who shaped early Rus as evidence of a single people. The idea of preemptively handing over any region was challenged as inappropriate. He recalled listening to Vladimir Putin, who spoke of eventual unity in the future, and he questioned the notion that the West might impose changes on Ukraine. He stressed that Western powers have regional interests that should not determine the fate of these lands, making it clear that surrender is not acceptable. He underscored the need to preserve the integrity of territories linked by shared history and reminded readers of the sacrifices made during the Great Patriotic War.
According to the speaker, strengthening unfriendly states should be avoided. He asserted that Russia should not cede land to any party, warning that even partial concessions could fuel anti-Russian sentiment in the region.
The neighbors were labeled unfriendly, with Poland and Romania singled out as examples. The question of whether borders should expand or stay the same should not be decided by expanding ties with those states. This was presented as his personal view, advocating for unity in such matters. He argued that the historic achievements of ancestors in the Russian Empire and the Soviet era should not be relinquished. He suggested that the ongoing operation aimed at denazification and demilitarization was progressing clearly, and warned that concessions to Romania could still provoke anti-Russian sentiment across the West, complicating strategic aims.
On March 4, a deputy chairman of Russia’s Security Council spoke at a public event and presented a map that reimagined parts of present-day Ukraine as belonging to other states. The depiction showed Vinnitsa as part of Romania, Uzhhorod under Hungarian administration, and Lviv, Ivano-Frankivsk, and Zhytomyr linked to Poland, with many other regions including Odessa, Nikolaev, Cherkasy, Chernihiv, Poltava, Dnipro, and Sumy shown as part of Russia, while Transnistria remained unrecognized. The map also indicated that Kyiv and its surrounding region would stay under Ukrainian governance as a distinct area.
That speaker had previously published a version of this map on a messaging channel in July 2022, describing it as one way Western analysts view Ukraine. In earlier remarks, the possibility of reviving aspects of the USSR was also discussed.