The Russia-Ukraine war has been going on for more than a year, and the two countries are in an intractable stalemate, with an unpredictable outcome. In the end, however, it is only ordinary people who suffer. At this moment, the leaders of the two countries may be in a dilemma. Behind the Russia-Ukraine war, Russia's ambitions for years of expansion may be faintly visible, which many find incomprehensible. Russia's territory is the largest in the world, twice as large as China's, up to 1,709820,000 square kilometers. However, the population of Russia is extremely sparse compared to the vast land, only 14.4 billion. Therefore, the size of the land area per capita of Russia is surprising.
In contrast, China's population and land area ratios are quite the opposite. However, despite this, Russia's willingness and need for foreign expansion far exceeds that of China, which raises the question: Isn't this vast land enough?It is worth noting that Russia is not only geographically vast, but also extremely rich in its resource reserves. They have the largest forest cover in the world, the second largest water reserves in the world, and the world's natural gas reserves occupy 1 3, and all kinds of minerals are almost inexhaustible. In 2012, Russia surpassed Saudi Arabia to become the world's largest oil producer.
However, despite this, there seems to have always been a certain panic in Russia. The vast expanse of land did not give Russians a sense of security, but instead pushed them to expand outwards in search of greater living space. If there is one word to describe the mentality of the Russians, it is probably "tangled". Russia is a huge country straddling the Eurasian continent, yet it has always seemed a bit out of place, both in Europe and Asia. The main ethnic group of Russia is the Slavs, who are not of the same origin as the Europeans, and there are huge differences in beliefs and cultures, coupled with the contradictions accumulated in history.
The situation is even more complicated in Asia, where Russia itself recognizes itself as belonging to the European cultural system, with its political, economic and cultural centres within the European confines, making it almost impossible to fully integrate into the Asian context. As a result, Russia is easily politically isolated, and perhaps it would not have been so anxious if Russia had been as powerful as its territorial size. Russia, as a powerful country with vast territory, has always been unable to cope with international disputes. In order to maintain its international position and prevent other countries from taking advantage of the situation, Russia is constantly expanding its territory and creating buffer zones to defend its homeland.
The motivation for this expansion lies in historical reasons and in the fact that the military power of the surrounding countries should not be underestimated. However, the rise of Russia took place later than the surrounding countries. In the 9th century, when China was in the midst of the Tang Dynasty, the Slavs had just established their first state, Kievan Rus'. However, in the 13th century AD, the iron hooves of the Mongol cavalry set foot on Russian soil, Kievan Rus' perished overnight, and the Slavs became vassals of the Mongols and lived like slaves. However, with the decline of Mongol power, the Slavs regained power. This painful experience made them realize that in order to avoid bullying, they must expand their territory and become a strong country.
The man who led the Slavs to realize this ideal was Ivan III. During his 30-year reign, Ivan III built up a formidable Eastern European cavalry, just like the Mongol Empire, which swept everywhere. Not only did he recover Kievan Rus' territory, but he also expanded its territory into the Arctic Circle, and at the same time, Moscow, the capital of today, laid the foundations for this period. This policy of expansion was a great success, and it finally came to the fore, and the territory was several times larger than before. However, they soon discovered that the land was far from sufficient to meet the demand, as most of the land they occupied was inhospitable.
Although these lands were found to be rich in mineral resources centuries later, uncultivated land was almost worthless to the Slavs of the 13th century. They had to live a primitive life in the bitter cold, fighting wild beasts every day, and even finding reliable water sources. Therefore, they decided to expand south, looking for warmer places to live. However, the south is not uninhabited, and numerous large and small principalities have long existed in the Volga River basin. For ancient humans, land was the most valuable asset, and no one would easily give up their land, therefore, the territorial expansion of the Slavs meant war after war.
After a century or two of fighting, they finally took full control of the Volga valley and gained the basis for survival. At this point, the prototype of ** was gradually formed, and the Slavs also entered a relatively stable period. However, Russia's history has been turbulent for most of its life, with life and death at stake. It didn't take long to settle down, and then ushered in the Age of Discovery, and the whole world began to merge, and in the face of the impact of Western science and technology, it was in trouble. Despite the army and territory, it is weak in the face of the challenges of Western technology, and survival is once again in question.
In the face of a desperate situation, flexibility became inevitable, and another great leader in Russian history appeared, the famous Peter the Great. Peter the Great was the pioneer of the Russian reforms. After personally traveling around the world, he knew that Russia must learn from the West and embark on the road of self-improvement Xi. However, in the Age of Discovery, Russia had to have a sea exit in order to gain a foothold. However, in the face of the fact that the Asia-Europe pattern has been finalized, Russia does not have a favorable outlet to the sea. The only way out is to plunder resources through war, so Russia has set its sights on Sweden. A war of expansion began, and Russia and Sweden experienced a brutal struggle for 20 years.
Eventually, Russia seized part of the territory of Estonia and Finland and finally gained long-awaited access to the sea. Among these seized territories, there was a place that was renamed St. Petersburg by the ** people. To this day, it remains one of the most famous cities in Russia. In addition to the conquest of Europe, Russia also set its sights on Asia. At that time, China was under the rule of the Qing Dynasty and its national power was at its peak. As a result, Russia's path to expansion was thwarted by China, and the two sides began the famous Battle of Yaksa. The defeat forced ** to pause its expansion into China.
However, one defeat did not decide everything, because by this time ** had won a great victory in Europe and expanded its territory again. The triumphant Peter the Great gave his empire a new name - the Russian Empire. With the change of throne and the accession of Catherine the Great, she led the Russian Empire to occupy Poland. This is undoubtedly a very wise decision for Russia. Because before the occupation of Poland, many of Russia's large cities were located in plains, which were easy to defend and difficult to attack. And it was Catherine the Great's expansionist actions that gave Russia enough buffer zone. In many cases, buffer zones can be a lifesaver.
Both Napoleon and Hitler were bound to suffer setbacks in the face of Russia's vast lands and harsh climate. In 1928, Nicholas I captured the Caucasus Mountains, and the external barrier of Russia was finally completed. Finally, they no longer have to worry about being a small country that could be invaded by other countries at any time. Through successive wars of expansion, Russia has achieved a counterattack of identity. Russia has become one of the most powerful countries in the region. Today, it is no longer the one it once was invaded, but has become an aggressor, and the surrounding countries are all subjugated to Russian hegemony. However, the crisis still haunts Russia.
During the revolution, the West took the opportunity to reap the benefits, resulting in the loss of nearly 3 4 territories, and it took four years of war to finally regain the lost territory. However, there is still a complete loss of territory, and these historical legacies have also led to the later estrangement between Ukraine and Russia. Frequent historical events have exacerbated the sense of crisis among Russians. Even though they have become the largest in the world in terms of territory, they are constantly worried that their buffer zone is insufficient. In order to alleviate this uneasiness, they can only keep expanding outward. As a result, neighboring countries have suffered greatly, from Ukraine to Finland, Sweden, Poland ......There is a deep resentment and unease towards Russia.
To this day, Russia is still seen as a demon in Eastern Europe, which is inseparable from their historical frenzied expansion. The uncertainty of its own security determined that Russia could not be a peace-loving country, and expansion accompanied them even during the Soviet era, which was the most advanced in thought. For example, in World War II, Hitler signed an agreement with the Soviet Union before the blitzkrieg on Poland, and the two sides had already decided to divide Poland without Poland's knowledge, and Germany and the Soviet Union each seized half of Poland. The Soviet Union's connivance with Germany led directly to the fall of Poland.
However, asking Germany for benefits also came at a terrible price. When Germany gradually rose to become a monster that made the whole world tremble, the Soviet Union regretted it. However, the time was too late, Hitler had already turned his butcher's knife at the Soviet Union, and an existential crisis was looming once again. However, the German attack on the Soviet Union seems to have in turn justified Soviet expansion. Due to the vastness of the Soviet Union's land, it was finally able to withstand the frenzied pace of German aggression, and finally the Soviet Union created the historical turning point of World War II. Naturally, Russia today is more insecure than the Soviet Union once was. Russia once stood among the world's great powers, on a par with the United States.
Today, however, it has faded and is no longer in its former glory. While Western countries remain hostile to Russia, Russia is isolated and declining in power, fueling a desire for expansion. Russia is convinced that expansion is the way to survive and that land is the foundation of life, and history has long proven this. Therefore, Russia is never satisfied with expansion, and danger and expansion are always with it. Even with the current war, the Russians still have hopes of expansion. However, as the world situation changes, this path seems to be becoming more difficult. Now that Russia is in a predicament, what is the next step for the former great power?