Nicholas II, Lenin, the novel of a revolution by Vladimir Fedorovski which has just been published by Balland brings us an understanding of the current history of contemporary Russia, the Russian soul and thought. This is the sequel to the historian’s bestseller, Putin, Ukraine, hidden facespublished by Balland last March.
franceinfo: Vladimir Fedorovski, you were alongside Mikhail Gorbachev who passed away recently. What is your perspective on what we are experiencing today in this Russian-Ukrainian war?
Vladimir Fedorovsky: I think we are living through one of the most dangerous times in human history, because we have never been so close to world war as we are today. Anyway, if the Ukrainians win, as many people think, what does it mean? Does that mean the breakup of Russia? The capture of Crimea? In this case, the Russians use nuclear weapons, for sure. The Russians are progressing in the Donbass, if they win, let’s imagine, they will go to Odessa. The Americans then say: we will intervene, for sure.
What does that mean? It means world war. There is a third scenario, the stagnation scenario. But there, the turkey of the farce, it is Europe, with the prices which will flame, the famine in Africa. In short, something absolutely unpredictable awaits us. That’s why I always advocate the de-escalation solution.
With a second front opening up between Azerbaijan, supported by Turkey, and Armenia, which is alongside Russia?
Obviously, this is a great danger. But the Americans have always said that they want to inflame the Russian periphery. But the Russians ensured the ceasefire. There will be other things that will continue.
VSlike Serbia and Kosovo all over again? Serbia is on the side of Russia and Kosovo, supported by the Americans?
Obviously, but there is Moldova, there are many things. The other day I spoke with the people who handled the Cuba crisis, McNamara’s deputy told me that their main concern then was to find the way out, to try to find the compromise.
So a broken dialogue between Europe and Russia?
It is true that everyone locks himself in his logic. Nobody can back down: Biden to win the mid-term, Zelensky, Putin can’t back down, otherwise he is politically dead. Add to that the psychological war, the information war when people lie and believe their lies, all that is a great danger, not to mention Europe, the turkey of the farce.
For the second time, you cite Europe as the turkey of the farce. Do you hear that we rely too much on information, I would say from the West?
You know, we lived in an imaginary world. If you listen to the Western media, it is said that this is the big conspiracy against Putin, that he is sick. All those things were nonsense. And finally, we come to the situation that the alternative to Putin, alas, is not pro-Western at all.
Today, barely 10%, maybe even 5% of Russians are pro-Western and the rest are much more radical. They say that Europe has betrayed its values, that it is becoming Islamized, and finally, that is why they are turning to Asia.
Kissinger stressed with great anguish the irreversible alliance between Russia and China. And I think that the interest, the well-understood interest of Europe, but above all the interest of our children, the interest also of the people who want to survive this crisis, obviously is to try to find the honorable compromise.
Moreover, it is in the interest, Ukrainian that I am, it is in the interest of the Ukrainian people because Ukraine too must think about reconstruction. I am convinced that the Marshall Plan must be launched to rebuild Ukraine. And if we can really find the solution, why not avoid the worst today…