Russian identity is rooted in imperialism — philosopher Kebuladze

Vakhtang Kebuladze, philosopher, writer, and translator, shared his opinions with Espreso TV.

"This is not a political nation, but an imperial identity that cannot exist except in a state of constant permanent war. Russians want war, it is their way of life. Russia is evil. I hope that more and more Ukrainian citizens realize this. We must learn to convey this to our international partners. They seem to support us, but they cannot yet say that Russia is evil and hell on earth, which must be overcome somehow. Moreover, this is necessary for them to survive, because they are killing themselves in the endless wars that Russia is waging," he said.

Ukrainians need to start with themselves in order to deconstruct the "Russian Empire" in their own minds, in Ukraine, and around the world, and ultimately in Russia. This is the key to the survival of Russians themselves, Kebuladze says.

"We need to start with ourselves. There is a lot of Russian left in Ukrainian cities and culture. We need to get rid of this hell and realize that it is hell. This is exactly what is destroying us. Our victory is the only way to start treating the ‘imperial disease,’ from which the Russians themselves must first of all be cured in order to survive and not be a threat to the whole world. We hope that the leaders of civilized countries already understand this. French President Macron's rhetoric has changed from ‘hear Putin out’ to ‘we are ready to send troops to Ukraine.’ We hope that other leaders of the civilized world will also realize that Russia needs to be defeated and treated together," he added.

According to him, the end of the war with Russia is a great optimism of today. After all, the war with this country has been going on for centuries. If it ends, the world will be dealing with a different political reality.

"I hope that the war will end in my lifetime, but it will mean that Russia will not exist anymore. And if it does not exist, we will be dealing with a different political reality that we can hardly imagine today. We have to win this terrible war. Victory will mean the absence of such a problem as Russia in any sense. We are not Nazis, unlike the Russians, and we do not call for murder and destruction. We want only one thing - the deconstruction of the Russian empire, with all its components. Our goal is for political entities to finally emerge on the territory of the Russian Federation where people can live freely. But we do not know what kind of entities they will be," the philosopher said.

Ukrainians should never allow anything Russian to be on their land, Kebuladze said.

"We have to study Russia, including its literature, the so-called Russian art, but we must always realize that we are at a huge risk of getting sick from it. How to maintain this balance is another question. But we should never allow anything Russian to be subject to Ukrainian rule, whether it is language, literature, culture, politics, etc.," he added.

• On December 8, 2023, Vladimir Putin announced his intention to run for the presidency of Russia in 2024. The "elections" are multi-day and take place, among other places, in the temporarily occupied territories of Ukraine.
• On March 15, European Council President Charles Michel "congratulated" Russian President Vladimir Putin in advance on his victory in this year's so-called elections.
• Britain's representative to the OSCE, the UN Secretary General and the UN Security Council condemned Putin's fake elections in the temporarily occupied territories of Ukraine, calling them illegal.
• The EU and 55 countries signed a joint statement condemning the pseudo-elections of the Russian president in the temporarily occupied territories of Ukraine.