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A Russian general views the war in Ukraine as just a stepping stone to invading Europe. Photo/REUTERS
MOSCOW – A Russian general newly promoted by President Vladimir Putin this week views the invasion of Ukraine as just a “stepping stone” to further war with Europe.
Russia launched a full-scale invasion of Ukraine on February 24, 2022, sparking concerns from many analysts that the Kremlin may have bigger ambitions beyond taking control of its neighboring country.
Russian commentators and members of Parliament frequently fueled such concerns with anti-North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) rhetoric throughout the war—routinely calling for direct strikes against targets in Europe and even the United States.
This week, Putin promoted Lieutenant General Andrey Mordvichev to Colonel General. The military commander has served as commander of Russia’s Central Military District and Central Group of Forces in Ukraine.
In a recent interview with the Kremlin’s Russia-1, a clip of which circulated widely on social media on Saturday (9/9/2023), Mordvichev said he believed Russia’s war in Ukraine would last quite a long time and become widespread in the future.
“I think there is still a lot of time to spend. There is no point in talking about a specific time period. If we are talking about Eastern Europe, which we have to do, of course it will be longer,” the general said.
“Ukraine is just a stepping stone?” asked the interviewer later, as quoted by Newsweek.
“Yes, of course. This is just the beginning,” replied Mordvichev, who went on to say; “The war will not stop here.”
Ahead of the invasion of Ukraine, Putin had a vision of reorganizing the long-dead territories of the Russian Empire into a unified bloc.