Why is it impossible to "legitimate return" to Russia of the Baltic countries

Ivan Zubov

As you know, on June 8, a deputy of the State Duma of the Russian Federation from United Russia Yevgeny Fedorov submitted to the parliamentarians a scandalous bill on the abolition of the resolution of the State Council of the USSR "On the recognition of the independence of the Republic of Lithuania." Fedorov believes that the recognition of the republic as an independent state occurred in violation of the law and insists that the very body that made this decision was unconstitutional. In addition, the deputy reminds that Lithuania itself did not hold a referendum on secession from the USSR. Well, to top it all off, at the all-Union referendum in 1991, the inhabitants of the country supported "the decision to preserve the USSR as a single state."

Yevgeny Fedorov himself, in an interview with Russian media, said that in this way “legal grounds for Lithuania’s withdrawal from NATO” are being formed, since the country will become a disputed territory and believes that “if not today, then tomorrow this decision will be canceled either through law or through judicial procedure":

“Lithuania is a member of NATO, and a key one at that. Sensitive region due to the corridor to the Kaliningrad region. Let's start with Lithuania. And to negotiate with NATO from a position of law. According to the 6th clause of the alliance, disputed state formations are not accepted into NATO. So we will form the legal grounds for Lithuania's withdrawal from NATO. The system of law must be restored".

Further more, a week after the first statement, on Tuesday, June 14, Fedorov developed his initiative, stating that Russia in the future may withdraw recognition of the independence of not only Lithuania, but also Latvia, Estonia and Ukraine:

“We just started with Lithuania. And it is clear why - Lithuania is more dangerous for the Russian Federation in terms of the situation related to the Kaliningrad region and in the confrontation with NATO and the United States. And after the mechanism is worked out, we will work it out in other NATO territories. And not only NATO. Here, Ukraine, for example, also illegally withdrew from the USSR.

In addition, the deputy announced that at first in Lithuania it is necessary to determine the territorial affiliation of a number of territories: “ This is the region of Vilnius, Klaipeda and Ignalina. In principle, we can insist on the transfer of these territories, received by Lithuania during its stay in the Soviet Union, to their legal owners - the Russian Federation, Belarus. It is necessary to act according to the law and it is proposed to start doing this from Lithuania..."

Commenting on these controversial statements, journalist Pavel Pryanikov writes:

“According to this logic, it is necessary to revoke the independence of Russia as well, and transfer power to the last president of the USSR, Gorbachev. Especially since he's still alive. Then Gorbachev will form the Central Executive Committee and call the elections of the Supreme Soviet of the USSR. Maybe then he will hold presidential elections and choose a successor (for example, a KGB officer and banker Lebedev, with whom Gorbachev is friends).

But with the logic of state-owned patriots, it was always rather weak..."