Putin now moving against more than Ukraine and Belarus

Now that the Kremlin dictator is engaged in what appears to be an increasingly all-out military invasion of Ukraine, the same thing is happening: he is moving elsewhere as well and his other moves are largely being neglected, something that gives him a completely undeserved opportunity to make gains few are working to oppose.

Related: Russia downscales demands to keeping Ukraine, Georgia out of NATO

Three days ago, with little notice yet in the West, 53 political movements in the Republic of Georgia made a public appeal to Putin to help them overturn the current pro-Western and anti-Russian policies of Tbilisi and ensure that Georgia can be a neutral country with close ties to Russia.

“We are convinced supporters of the construction of a new system of international security based on justice and the mutual support of the interests of the sides” and that a major basis for such a system is the full “military neutrality” of countries “like Georgia and Ukraine,” the hitherto marginal groups in Georgia say.

“With regret,” they add, “we must acknowledge that Georgia is not a free country, as shown by the public declarations of senior officials that ‘the position of the US is homework for the powers of Georgia.’ It is obvious that they, despite the interests of the country, regularly offer their own territory for NATO exercises which is nothing other than a direct challenge to Russia.”

Read More: Russian attack of all of Ukraine: live updates

“Understanding that conflict with Russia is fatal for Georgia, we, 53 political and social organizations, have united into a United Patriotic Front and publicly signed a declaration about complete military neutrality of Georgia and demand from the authorities of Georgia that they make corresponding changes in the Georgian constitution.”

And “recognizing that Georgia without cooperation with Russia cannot cope with regional or even more with global challenges, we strive for close cooperation with Russia and would like to meet with the leadership of the State Duma and Federation Council in order to make a small but significant contribution to the formation of an effective system of regional security.”

Some commentators and analysts in the West can be counted on to claim that such developments simply reflect the efforts of people in Georgia to cope with what the latter see as the new geopolitical situation Russia is seeking to create with its military aggression in Ukraine. And there may be some truth in that. But the appearance of such groups and such appeals are more than that and more dangerous because it reflects Moscow’s efforts to reverse the results of 1991 that brought so many independence and freedom. These nations and the nations within the Russian Federation still ruled by Moscow deserve more than that from us.

Read More:

• Russia downscales demands to keeping Ukraine, Georgia out of NATO
• Ukraine questions legality of Russia’s UN, UNSC membership
• Why Putin is setting Russia up to lose far more than Moscow did in 1991
• Putin-backed citizenship legislation tips his plans of more aggression and annexation
• Russia’s hybrid war against Ukraine and the West is entering the next phase: The crisis
• The defeat that won’t repeat: Russia’s invasion of Ukraine a century ago & now
• The Kremlin’s playbook: fabricating pretext to invade Ukraine – more myths