Soviet invasion of central Europe was a ‘mistake’, says Vladimir Putin

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Russian President Vladimir Putin has described the Soviet invasion of Hungary and Czechoslovakia as a “mistake” that harmed other countries, even as he continues to defend his war in Ukraine.

“Soviet policy in this area is wrong and will only increase tensions,” Putin told a panel meeting at the Eastern Economic Forum in Vladivostok on Tuesday. “It is wrong to do anything in foreign policy that directly conflicts with the interests of other countries.”

His comments, while overshadowing Moscow’s ongoing aggression against Kiev, were intended to extend an olive branch to Central and Eastern European countries whose politicians are more sympathetic to Russia than their Western allies.

Putin has previously described the collapse of the Soviet Union as “the greatest geopolitical disaster of the 20th century.” But on Tuesday, he offered a more nuanced view in response to a question about whether the Soviet Union was acting “like a colonial power” when it sent tanks to Prague and Budapest to quell pro-democracy protests.

Massive demonstrations in Hungary in 1956 and Czechoslovakia in 1968 were brutally suppressed, resulting in the deaths of at least 2,600 Hungarians and approximately 140 Czechs and Slovaks.

Although Putin did not directly compare the Soviet actions to his invasion of Ukraine, he built a different narrative around what he called Russia’s “extraordinary military operations” in the neighboring country.

In 1968, people in Prague blocked Soviet troops and tanks
People in Prague block Soviet troops and tanks in 1968 © CTK via AP

“It is critical for Putin to emphasize the fundamental difference between the Soviet invasion of Eastern Bloc countries and its intervention in Ukraine,” said Andrei Kolesnikov, senior fellow at the Carnegie Russia and Eurasia Center. “Although the Soviet Union was wrong, , but Russia now seeks to restore justice by taking back what it believes is rightfully its own.”

Kolesnikov described Putin’s statement as a “verbal tactic” designed to demonstrate Putin’s lack of imperial ambitions. “Putin is well aware that he can never bring the Eastern Bloc back to his sphere of influence,” he said, so why not make this gesture.

In Slovakia, Putin’s remarks came as some pro-Russian parties were campaigning ahead of the September 30 election. Former Prime Minister Robert Fico, who is leading the campaign, has called for an end to military aid to Ukraine, while smaller parties in Slovakia have called for an end to military aid to Ukraine. The Republic and others demanded the lifting of sanctions against Russia.

Thomas Strazai, director of the Slovak Foreign Policy Association, a think tank in Bratislava, said Putin’s new stance on the Soviet Union was “quite surprising.” “This is speaking to a wider audience outside of Russia, perhaps not only the political leaders of Slovakia and Hungary, but anyone in the Western world who thinks that dialogue between him and Russia is still possible.”

Strazaj said that in the context of Slovakia’s upcoming elections, Putin’s comments could be used by pro-Russian politicians to claim that he is “not such a bad guy after all.”

In Hungary, Prime Minister Viktor Orban is a long-time ally of Putin and has repeatedly delayed passing EU sanctions and withheld military aid to Ukraine.

Péter Krekó, director of the Institute of Political Capital in Budapest, said Putin’s admission that the Soviet Union had made mistakes in suppressing pro-democracy protests in Budapest could be seen as a “diplomatic gesture, but nothing more.”

A new high school history textbook written by one of Putin’s advisers has drawn criticism in Russia and abroad for claiming that the 1956 Hungarian revolution was a fascist uprising organized by the West and that the withdrawal of Soviet troops from Hungary in 1990 was a mistake.

“This ambivalence, calling 1956 fascist while saying suppressing it was a mistake, has always been part of Russian diplomacy,” Kreko said.

“If everything is said against you, you can do anything because what you say will not be used against you. This is a feature, not a bug,” Krekó added.

Putin has spent the past decade working to restore memory of the Soviet Union as part of his efforts to develop “spiritual ties” and “traditional values” that unite Russia.

Although Putin spoke at economic forums, he spent much of his time on his favorite topics, such as discussing colonial history and what he sees as Western neocolonial policies.

Kolesnikov of the Carnegie Endowment said: “Putin has repeatedly stressed that Russia has never participated in colonialism, despite Russia’s historical record, which includes various forms of colonialism. Otherwise, the Russian empire would not have developed It became what it is now.”

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