If Russia wins the war, what will happen to Ukraine?

Let's imagine Vladimir Putin has his way, and Russia gets a decisive victory in its war against the Kyiv government. Moscow's victory would not only mean Ukraine's defeat, but it could represent the end of the country.

When Russia invaded Ukraine in February 2022, the Kremlin gave a long list of reasons, ranging from helping the Russian population in the Donbas region to the ‘denazification’ of Ukraine. However, almost three years into the war, there seems no need to pretend.

Dmitry Medvedev is probably one of the people closest to Vladimir Putin. This politician served as President of Russia between 2008 and 2012 (while Putin served as Prime Minister) and as Prime Minister between 2008 and 2020.

Medvedev now serves as deputy chairman of Russia’s Security Council and spoke about how not only Ukraine was part of Russia, but how will Russia obliterate Ukraine from the map.

According to Al Jazeera, the former Russian President spoke at a youth festival in the southern city of Sochi, where he ruled out the possibility of peace talks with Ukraine.

“Once a former Ukrainian leader said, ‘Ukraine is not Russia’. This is a concept that should disappear forever”, declared Medvedev, standing in front of a map where most of current-day Ukraine has been absorbed by Russia.

Image: Gerashchenko_en / X

Specifically, Al Jazeera describes Russia hopes to be in control of eastern and southern Ukraine and all its coast in the Black Sea.

Russia wouldn’t be the only one getting their share. Several news outlets point out that the map also shows Poland expanding into most of western Ukraine.

Image: calvinhanson / Unsplash

In this hypothetical map, Hungary and Romania would also absorb some of Ukrainian territory.

Image: nicosmit99 / Unsplash

Meanwhile, in the middle of all is a small, vestigial, landlocked territory between Russia and Poland that would be the remains of Ukraine and seem to correspond to the present-day Kyiv region.

Image: photofixation / Unsplash

“Ukraine is definitely Russian!” Medvedev told the audience, followed by a round of applause. Medvedev exhorted that parts of Ukraine should “return home” to Russia.

Image: Gerashchenko_en / X

Medvedev affirmed that he was just speaking the general opinion of the Russian people and that it shouldn’t be ignored. “It rightfully regards Ukraine and its population as part of our all-Russian civilization”, he was quoted saying by Russian State News Agency TASS.

“Had Ukraine escaped the stupidest trap set by the United States and its allies in order to counter our country with Ukraine’s assistance and use this very ‘anti-Russia entity,’ things might have been different”, the former Russian president pointed out, per TASS.

Medvedev believed that East-West relations were hitting a low, unseen since the days of the Cuban missile Crisis in 1962, the closest humanity has ever been since a nuclear war.

However, Medvedev’s views aren’t something new. Vladimir Putin has stated on many occasions that he believes that Ukraine is an integral part of Russia’s history and culture.

When Putin spoke with Tucker Carlson on February 8, he claimed that Ukraine was an artificial state, sliced off from parts of western Russia and eastern Poland.

Image: tuckercarlson / X

However, this raises the question if Putin, Medvedev, and the rest of the Russian government won’t stop their “special military operation” until Ukraine has disappeared as a concept.