普京專權弄權是大家都看見的。他在烏克蘭問題上的強硬，很容易理解是他國內政治得分的工具。聯想起台灣問題，不由得好奇去讀了普京半年前寫的那篇很長的關於烏克蘭的essay。總的印象是，這件事上普京不是玩一般意義下的政客障眼法，他在情感上陷得很深，甚至可以說是浪漫。細思極恐，除非他的理性也一樣的強。
他寫得很長，我就摘幾段讓我印象最深的吧。
開篇是這樣的：“First of all, I would like to emphasize that the wall that has emerged in recent years between Russia and Ukraine, between the parts of what is essentially the same historical and spiritual space, to my mind is our great common misfortune and tragedy. These are, first and foremost, the consequences of our own mistakes made at different periods of time. But these are also the result of deliberate efforts by those forces that have always sought to undermine our unity.”
我認為，普京是動了真感情的。說兄弟間反目為仇是我們共同的不幸和悲劇，其實是在懇求對方諒解曆史上俄羅斯做的種種傷害烏克蘭的事，比如列寧、斯大林時期對烏克蘭的強製征糧，人造饑荒。普京在勸說對方不要被外部勢力利用時還強調，現在的危機，first and foremost，是我們雙方各個曆史時期的錯誤的惡果。如果你把整篇文章讀下來，就會發現普京對曆史和文字的駕馭能力，比港台辦高明太多了。
“To have a better understanding of the present and look into the future, we need to turn to history. Certainly, it is impossible to cover in this article all the developments that have taken place over more than a thousand years. But I will focus on the key, pivotal moments that are important for us to remember, both in Russia and Ukraine.
Russians, Ukrainians, and Belarusians are all descendants of Ancient Rus, which was the largest state in Europe. Slavic and other tribes across the vast territory – from Ladoga, Novgorod, and Pskov to Kiev and Chernigov – were bound together by one language (which we now refer to as Old Russian), economic ties, …the Orthodox faith. The spiritual choice made by St. Vladimir, who was both Prince of Novgorod and Grand Prince of Kiev, still largely determines our affinity today.
……
The fragmentation intensified after Batu Khan's devastating invasion, which ravaged many cities, including Kiev. The northeastern part of Rus fell under the control of the Golden Horde but retained limited sovereignty. The southern and western Russian lands largely became part of the Grand Duchy of Lithuania.
上麵，普京把斯拉夫人的分裂與過去蒙古人的侵略聯係了起來。史實也的確如此。
……
“Many centuries of fragmentation and living within different states naturally brought about regional language peculiarities, resulting in the emergence of dialects. The vernacular enriched the literary language. Ivan Kotlyarevsky, Grigory Skovoroda, and Taras Shevchenko played a huge role here. Their works are our common literary and cultural heritage. Taras Shevchenko wrote poetry in the Ukrainian language, and prose mainly in Russian. The books of Nikolay Gogol, a Russian patriot and native of Poltavshchyna, are written in Russian, bristling with Malorussian folk sayings and motifs. How can this heritage be divided between Russia and Ukraine? And why do it?“
幾個世紀的分裂，造成了俄語和烏克蘭語這兩種方言。但這也豐富了我們共同的文學遺產。塔拉斯·舍甫琴科（烏克蘭作家）用烏克蘭語寫詩，又用俄語寫散文。為什麽我們要分開？
“ modern Ukraine is entirely the product of the Soviet era. We know and remember well that it was shaped – for a significant part – on the lands of historical Russia. To make sure of that, it is enough to look at the boundaries of the lands reunited with the Russian state in the 17th century and the territory of the Ukrainian SSR when it left the Soviet Union.
The Bolsheviks treated the Russian people as inexhaustible material for their social experiments. They dreamt of a world revolution that would wipe out national states. That is why they were so generous in drawing borders and bestowing territorial gifts. ..... We can disagree about minor details, background and logics behind certain decisions. One fact is crystal clear: Russia was robbed, indeed.“
在回顧了10月革命，烏克蘭並入蘇聯的曆史後，普京指責布爾什維克把各族人民當成他們社會實驗中用之不竭的耗材。因為世界革命是要消滅國家的，於是各個加盟共和國的疆域就像禮物一樣送來送去。今天人們可以就這些疆域劃分的細節，曆史背景和邏輯，爭論不休，但一個史實無容置疑，那就是大俄羅斯都被robbed。
“Nowadays, Ukraine is Europe's poorest country. Who is to blame for this? Is it the people of Ukraine's fault? Certainly not. It was the Ukrainian authorities who waisted and frittered away the achievements of many generations. We know how hardworking and talented the people of Ukraine are. They can achieve success and outstanding results with perseverance and determination. And these qualities, as well as their openness, innate optimism and hospitality have not gone. The feelings of millions of people who treat Russia not just well but with great affection, just as we feel about Ukraine, remain the same.“
“Step by step, Ukraine was dragged into a dangerous geopolitical game aimed at turning Ukraine into a barrier between Europe and Russia, a springboard against Russia. Inevitably, there came a time when the concept of ”Ukraine is not Russia“ was no longer an option. There was a need for the ”anti-Russia“ concept which we will never accept.“
上麵這段是普京的狠話。
最後，普京苦口婆心地問，難道我們不可以有像美國和加拿大的關係？
“Just have a look at how Austria and Germany, the USA and Canada live next to each other. Close in ethnic composition, culture, in fact sharing one language, they remain sovereign states with their own interests, with their own foreign policy. But this does not prevent them from the closest integration or allied relations. They have very conditional, transparent borders. And when crossing them the citizens feel at home. They create families, study, work, do business. Incidentally, so do millions of those born in Ukraine who now live in Russia. We see them as our own close people.“
“I am confident that true sovereignty of Ukraine is possible only in partnership with Russia. Our spiritual, human and civilizational ties formed for centuries and have their origins in the same sources, they have been hardened by common trials, achievements and victories. Our kinship has been transmitted from generation to generation. It is in the hearts and the memory of people living in modern Russia and Ukraine, in the blood ties that unite millions of our families. Together we have always been and will be many times stronger and more successful. For we are one people.“
