According to your analysis, things do point to hyperbolic disinformation about the general. however, whether the Russian leaders want territorial expansion or expanded influence, I think it's believable and verifiable by other means than the general's words. But all powerful countries do that to a degree, expand in order to gain power either through human resources or material or influence or decimation of people and land. The main European powers in the US have long history of geographical colonization but. Russia has done some of that also but typically hasn't established large groups of pilgrims or settlers or cultural Russifiers Russia has done some of that but has not typically dispatched large groups of pilgrims or settlers to far off lands for the cultural war of Russification. Russia and its predecessors and neighboring groups for hundreds of years have invaded one another. Appreciating the Russian leaders' predilections and patterns doesn't require the verbatim ratification of one general. European colonialists spread their seed as far and wide as they could and the influences are still felt. And they have taken land as well. Having to cede some of it back to those they stole it from has been an ugly and ongoing process. but the cultural influence carries on, as does the plunder of natural resources.
I am personally not in a position to judge how popular such expansionist notions are, like those of Aleksandr Dugin's or if the type of nationalism espoused by Navalny involves expansionism and how popular that is and what particular style of expansion is it might be undertaken.
I'l bet Nordic Scandinavian Baltic and Balkan leaders have their own histories and perceptions in mind when they consider Russia's foreign policy goals. And again I am not in a position to understand how much an alignment all those nations' goals are with NATO.
And it's still possible that this general spoke in a deceptive manner to, you know, intentionally. I doubt any wisdom in dealing with these matters is available from individual leaders, individual countries, blocs of countries, and the species in general.
According to your analysis, things do point to hyperbolic disinformation about the general. however, whether the Russian leaders want territorial expansion or expanded influence, I think it's believable and verifiable by other means than the general's words. But all powerful countries do that to a degree, expand in order to gain power either through human resources or material or influence or decimation of people and land. The main European powers in the US have long history of geographical colonization but. Russia has done some of that also but typically hasn't established large groups of pilgrims or settlers or cultural Russifiers Russia has done some of that but has not typically dispatched large groups of pilgrims or settlers to far off lands for the cultural war of Russification. Russia and its predecessors and neighboring groups for hundreds of years have invaded one another. Appreciating the Russian leaders' predilections and patterns doesn't require the verbatim ratification of one general. European colonialists spread their seed as far and wide as they could and the influences are still felt. And they have taken land as well. Having to cede some of it back to those they stole it from has been an ugly and ongoing process. but the cultural influence carries on, as does the plunder of natural resources.
I am personally not in a position to judge how popular such expansionist notions are, like those of Aleksandr Dugin's or if the type of nationalism espoused by Navalny involves expansionism and how popular that is and what particular style of expansion is it might be undertaken.
I'l bet Nordic Scandinavian Baltic and Balkan leaders have their own histories and perceptions in mind when they consider Russia's foreign policy goals. And again I am not in a position to understand how much an alignment all those nations' goals are with NATO.
And it's still possible that this general spoke in a deceptive manner to, you know, intentionally. I doubt any wisdom in dealing with these matters is available from individual leaders, individual countries, blocs of countries, and the species in general.