A Russian political scientist has suggested that the country should take over three US states and two NATO members.
Sergey Mikheyev’s suggestions went viral after he appeared on a Russian state television show, but have been slammed on social media.
Mikheyev said: ‘I want the Russian empire with Alaska, Hawaii, California, Finland, and Poland.
‘Although Poland and Finland are so stinky, I’m not sure, to be honest. We’ll clean them.’
The clips, translated by former adviser to Ukraine’s minister of internal affairs, Anton Gerashchenko, have been met with fierce backlash, even as the television host tried to dismiss the comments as ‘wishful thinking’.
The host added: ‘Yes, but again, wishful thinking is one thing and actual politics is another.’
The political scientist’s comments have sparked debate (Picture: Sergey Mikheyev)
The topic of Alaska has come into question in recent years (Picture: Reuters)
It’s not the first time Russia has threatened to take over US states and other countries – in 2022, a senior parliamentarian, Vyacheslav Volodin, threatened that Russia could take Alaska back.
‘Decency is not weakness,’ he said. ‘We always have something to answer with. Let America always remember, there is part of its territory… Alaska.
‘When they start trying to dispose of our resources abroad, let them think before they do so that we also have something to get back.’
He ordered other MPs to ‘keep an eye on Alaska’.
The US purchased Alaska from Tsar Alexander II in 1867 for $7.2 million, and it became a state in 1959.
Former president of Russia Dmitry Medvedev previously endorsed a ‘Texit’, the separation of Texas as an independent state from the US.
Finland shares a very long border with Russia (Picture: Getty)
Russia has also supported independence movements in Catalan, Scotland, and the Republika Srpska, which seeks to secede from Bosnia.
Although Medvedev’s claims have previously been dismissed by the US Department of State as ‘standard Kremlin nonsense,’ they appear to be part of a broader mission to diminish Western unity.
As for Finland and Poland, it’s not the first time Kremlin mouth pieces have threatened the Nato countries either.
Finland is more than prepared for any conflict with Russia, however – they have an astounding 50,500 bomb shelters in case of emergency.
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While the threat from Russia was more pertinent in the Cold War, Finland never forgot the 1944 bombings in Helsinki, orchestrated by the Soviet Union.
Poland has also been threatened by Russia since the invasion into Ukraine, with fighter jets scrambled in February after Russia launched missiles towards the Polish border.
When asked in an interview whether he could imagine a scenario where he would decide to invade Poland, Putin said there was just one: ‘Only in one case, if Poland attacks Russia.’
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