Putin denounces Russia’s ‘stupidity’ in capturing Crimea from Ukraine and denounces Moscow’s outdated ‘heavy imperial legacy’ in a TV interview 25 years ago

Vladimir Putin denounced the “stupidity” of Russia capturing Crimea from Ukraine and denounced Moscow’s outdated “heavy imperial legacy” in a resurfaced TV interview from 25 years ago.

The tyrannical dictator – then two months into his first premiership under President Boris Yeltsin – told TV presenter Alexander Lyubimov, son of former Soviet KGB spy in London Mikhail Lyubimov, that ‘we don’t want to take Crimea – that is absolute stupidity ‘.

Contrary to what he thought a quarter century ago, Putin – who has ruthlessly rigged elections and murdered opponents to stay at the helm of the Kremlin – seized not only Crimea but also parts of eastern Ukraine in 2014 .

In 2022, he plunged Europe into the biggest conflict since World War II as he tried and failed to invade the rest of Russia’s nearest neighbor.

In the images of Putin’s hypocrisy, which have reappeared on TikTok and We want to take Crimea. Or can we just not agree on money? Gas, sugar… What is our biggest problem with Ukraine, Vladimir Vladimirovich (Putin)?’

Putin, now 72, has since absurdly argued that Ukraine is not a real country, and that it is populated by Nazis under Western control.

But in 1999, as Russian prime minister, he insisted: ‘First of all, we don’t want to take Crimea, that is absolute stupidity.

‘If we take something from someone, something will certainly be taken from us, otherwise we will lose something ourselves.’

He received applause from the audience before telling the Russians: “If we start (elaborating on whether Russia wants to take Crimea) with such a redistribution across the post-Soviet space, we will never of recovery.

“We have 400 disputed territories within the Russian Federation – 400!

“I want everyone to know this.”

Disputes between Russia and Ukraine over sugar and gas production were “secondary issues”, he said.

“There is a kind of discussion field, but just arguing, nothing more,” said the young Putin, then only 47.

He then denounced Russia’s tendency towards imperialism.

“In my opinion, the biggest problem is Russia’s heavy imperial legacy,” he said to studio applause.

He attacked the Russians for their belief in expansionism – something he would later lead.

“For some reason everyone thinks Russia has remained an empire,” he said.

“Now, those who are applauding, listen to me carefully.

“Everyone thinks Russia has remained an empire, and they still treat it as one, but that is simply not the case.”

It comes after a ‘peace plan’ unveiled in July suggested Putin was willing to share Crimea’s sovereignty with Ukraine.

The dictator sent his trusted Interior Minister Vladimir Kolokoltsev to the US with new proposals to end the war the dictator started, sources in both Moscow and Kiev said.

Leading Ukrainian TV journalist Dmitry Gordon said he had received details of the package from “our intelligence sources”, while Russia’s Telegram channel Gosdumskaya – which claims insider sources in Moscow – separately reported a similar set of demands from Putin.

The demands were that Ukraine must withdraw completely from the Donetsk and Luhansk regions, both of which are now partially annexed by Russia.

But Russia would transfer the Zaporizhia nuclear power plant and the nearby city of Enerhodar to Ukraine.

And he would discuss the possible transfer of the Kherson and Zaporizhia regions under the control of Ukraine.

Crimea would become a “special demilitarized administrative territory with dual subordination to Ukraine and the Russian Federation.”

During his rule, the Kremlin was accused of being behind the deaths of two of its most talented political opponents: Boris Nemtsov, who was shot in 2105, and Alexei Navalny, who died in his Arctic prison this year.

In the months before Nemtsov’s death, he had written detailed reports alleging that Putin had committed corruption and expressed fears that the Russian president would have him killed.

Ukraine’s then-president Petro Poroshenko also pointed the finger at the Kremlin over Nemtsov’s death, claiming politicians feared a report the former deputy prime minister would share publicly.

About the report Nemtsov was working on, President Poroshenko said at the time: ‘Someone was afraid of this, Boris was not afraid. Murderers and executors were afraid.”

Meanwhile, opposition activists also blamed the Russian president for his death, claiming there was “no doubt” the killing was politically motivated.

The Russian president was also accused of the “murder” of his most outspoken critic, who died while serving a 19-year prison sentence in an Arctic penal colony.

Reports have previously claimed that Putin “wants to know everything that happens to Navalny. All the details, the punishments.’

It is even alleged that he demanded images of Navalny in the grim colony where he was being held.

In addition to reports that Putin showed sadistic interest in Navalny’s treatment, it was also previously claimed that he had requested video footage and live streams of the opposition leader in prison.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky joined Western leaders in blaming Moscow for Navalny’s death, while pointing to the Putin critic’s demise as another reminder of the importance of defeating Russia.

“There must be consequences,” the Foreign Minister told broadcasters at the time.