Russian President vladimir putin is following in the Stalin’s policy tracks, trying to destroy the Ukrainian grain infrastructure and bring rise to famine in different parts of the world.

Timothy Snyder, Yale University Professor, expressed this idea in his video message at a special event of the Kyiv Security Forum, established by the Arseniy Yatsenyuk Foundation “Open Ukraine”.

He noted that the destruction of the Nova Kakhovka dam, the mining of the territory of Ukraine, the deliberate destruction of ports, blowing up marine vessels and ships, and grain warehouses are all the crimes committed by russia to exert pressure on Ukrainians.

“President putin is trying to demonstrate his control over Ukraine, and that is why he tells the leaders of African and Asian countries that he is now the food lord and master. And that he now has powers over hunger and famine. And that it is he who will decide who lives and who dies. And this naturally, is a very direct echo of the 1930s and Stalin’s policies,” Timothy Snyder emphasized.

In his opinion, Putin’s policy is deeply rooted in his firm confidence in the Soviet past.

“He is certain that Ukraine did not exist, does not exist and cannot exist at all and, therefore, everything done and committed against Ukrainians must be justified. Just as Stalin and the Stalinists were certain that there was one definite and defined future, one definite and defined communism, and one definite and defined Soviet Union and, hence, everything done in Ukraine was somehow justified,” said the historian.

Timothy Snyder also pointed out that the Holodomor organized by Stalin and resulting in deaths of millions of Ukrainians “who should not have died”, was the original source of a large-scale system of lies that continues to be used in today’s Russia.

The Kyiv Security Forum established by the Arseniy Yatsenyuk “Open Ukraine” Foundation, is the major platform in this country to discuss problems and issues of war and peace, of national and global security.