THIS is with reference to the article “Lenin’s legacy” (Jan 17), which was critical of Russian President Vladimir Putin’s decision to launch a military operation in Ukraine.

The fact of the matter is that one of the main causes of the conflict in Ukraine is the aggressive expansion of Nato eastwards to Russia’s borders, which is incompatible with principles of collective security. Besides, all Russian initiatives and proposals to conclude an agreement that would take into account the interests of both sides have been ignored by the United States and its allies.

The article used the Western propa- ganda of the ‘Great Russian chauvinism’. When was the so-called Russian ‘chauvinism’ the driving force in Russian history? Was it the pre-revolutionary era, with its multi-ethnic composition of the Russian imperial elite and religion, not ethnicity as the main identity? Was it the Soviet era, when any ethnic nationa- lism was banned and internationalism served as one of the pillars of state ideology? Or, is it the post-Soviet Russia, where the largest ethnical groups happen to have their own republics within the federation?

The writer’s repetition of Russophobic narratives and the use of inappropriate language against the Russian president only betray the lack of a factual argument.

Albert Khorev
Ambassador of Russia
Islamabad

Published in Dawn, January 22nd, 2024