Poznań as a possible mark of atomic impact, Germany "first place" and Europe presented as "the origin of all evil in the past of humanity" – this is the imagination of the future that 1 of the main ideologists of Kremlin, Sergei Karaganov, is spreading in the latest interview. Close advisor to the Kremlin authorities says that if Russia approaches defeat, it can scope for atomic weapons against Europe.
Who is the man who threatens Europe?
Sergei Karaganov is not an accidental commentator from the margins of the Russian debate. He is simply a well-known political scientist in Moscow, co-founder of the influential Waldaj Discuss Club, for years dean of the department of planet economics and politics of a prestigious university, and a longtime advisor to Russian leaders – first Boris Jelcin, later Vladimir Putin.
For years he has been regarded as 1 of the architects of narrative, which justifies the expansionary policies of the Kremlin and opposes the "traditional" Russia of the "broken" West. It was from this position that he appeared in a popular podcast led by Tucker Carlson, an American writer sympathetic to Putin's politics and Donald Trump.
Carlson himself admitted that the guest's words may be "one of the most crucial events of our time", although he does not pay as much attention to them as he thinks he should.
"If we approach defeat" – Karaganov's black script
The starting point of the conversation was the war in Ukraine and the question whether the conflict could lead to atomic weapons. Karaganov replied without much hesitation: if Russia always approaches defeat, it is at stake to usage atomic arsenal against Europe. In his narrative, specified escalation would mean "total destruction" of the continent.
The ideologist of Kremlin did not halt at generality. He just started to "type" places that in his imagination could become the first goals. He pointed out Poznań as an example of a city against which Russia could usage atomic weapons, adding that the United States would not respond to specified an attack anyway.
At the same time, he stated that he would personally "choose" Britain and Germany, with Germany in the first place in the list of possible targets. He immediately added, however, that the "merciful propitiation" to prevent specified a script from happening due to the fact that it would mean the physical end of Europe. specified a treatment – a threat intertwined by an apparent "warning" – is simply a well-known component of propaganda language.
Poland between the threat and "glory"
Against the background of violent declarations, the passage of the message concerning Poland is peculiarly strong. Karaganov stated that Poles "start to regain common sense" due to the fact that they realize that they "play with fire" and effort to retreat from the line of the war.
This is simply a circumstantial "glory" which is besides intended to intimidate and propose that remaining out of engagement on the side of Ukraine would be a reasonable, "safe" choice. In the logic of the Kremlin ideologist Poland is in a catalogue of countries that, if necessary, can be identified as possible targets and at the same time effort to influence their policies with fear and "good advice".
Such statements, even if they do not mean a real military plan, are also component of the information war in which atomic threats are to tame public opinion with escalation and fuel uncertainty among the states supporting Ukraine.
Europe as "the origin of all evil" in Russian narrative
In an interview, Karaganov devoted much space to the general image of Europe. In his communicative Old Continent is not a partner, but an enemy. The ideologist called modern Europe "a joke" and argued that "the full planet laughs at it".
However, he went much further, identifying Europe as "the origin of all evil in human history." In his narrative, he recalled repeated raids on Russia, and 2 planet wars portrayed as successive attempts to strike it "under Hitler's name".
This is simply a simplified, propaganda construction that ignores the fact that the current armed aggression is taking place from Russia against Ukraine. The shift of emphasis from a real conflict to an alleged "existential struggle" with all of Europe is intended to justify the escalation and present the West as 1 collective enemy.
"The leaders don't realize anything". Threat as an expected Lesson for the West
Karaganov attacks not only Europe itself, but besides its political leaders. He accuses them of "not being able to full realize what's going on" and they live in the belief that war will never scope their territory. In his opinion, they "forgotten how terrible it is", and the task of Russia is to "bring them back to their senses."
At this very point, it is suggested that 1 of the tools of "brillification" could be the usage of atomic weapons. The ideologist thus adds another layer – the threat is presented as an educational measurement towards Europe, which supposedly snuck out of the history's "order".
In this narrative, the war in Ukraine is only 1 of the fronts of a major clash: Russia is to lead them primarily with Europe, which allegedly took over the function of the main opponent and "the initiator of evil". This strikes the foundations of the post-war order, based on the presumption that atomic conflict is something to be avoided at all costs.
Propaganda dreams, real consequences
Sergei Karaganov's words can be considered an utmost example of the Krell propaganda, which from the beginning of a full-scale invasion of Ukraine balances on the border of open atomic threats. The imagination of the impact in Poznań, Germany or large Britain is not a military plan in the classical sense. This is primarily a political signal.
From the Polish perspective, specified statements do not change the fact that the presence in NATO and cohesion of the West towards Russian aggression are inactive crucial. However, they show how far Kremlin ideologists are prepared to go in words, trying to intimidate European societies and to cast uncertainty on them.
