MOSCOW. April 2 (Interfax) - Russia's geopolitical ill-wishers seek to take revenge for Napoleon's and Hitler's failed campaigns and to retain their global hegemony at Russia's expense, which they will be unable to attain, Russian President Vladimir Putin said.
"As is known, Russia is in a complicated period of its history. That's clear to everyone. After the USSR's breakup, our geopolitical ill-wishers have set themselves the goal of completing the ruining of what's left of the historical Russia, complete the ruining of its core, Russia, the Russian Federation, and subordinate whatever is left to their geopolitical interests," Putin said at an Interior Ministry expanded board meeting on Tuesday.
"However strange it might seem, someone is seeking revenge for failures in fighting Russia in [past] historical periods, for Hitler's and Napoleon's failed Russian campaigns, and so on. There's a lot of historical examples. However strange, those very ill-wishers whom I've mentioned still keep a lot of that in their historical memory. I've observed that," he said.
"In today's rapidly changing world, some are trying to retain their hegemony, including at Russia's expense," Putin said.
"To do this, in particular, at Russia's expense after its possible breakup. Perhaps some see our country as a weak link. They're being mistaken. Many have realized already that they've been mistaken. This has never happened, nobody has managed to do that, and this won't happen. Nobody will be able to do that," he said.