In a new statement , the Kremlin has detailed
Russian President Vladimir Putin's address to
pro-Russian separatists battling Kiev's force in
eastern Ukraine, which referred to the rebels as
"the militia of New Russia" or "Novorossiya".
This term is not a new addition to the Russian
leader's personal lexicon. In a televised question
and answer session in April in the midst of the
Crimea crisis, Putin told the audience, in reference
to the restive eastern regions of Ukraine: "It's
new Russia."
This phrase has raised fears about Putin's
territorial ambitions in the former Soviet Union
but what does this term really mean?
"Novorossiya", which translates as New Russia, is
a historical term for a region conquered by the
Russian empire in the 18th century and controlled
by Tsarist Russia in the 19th Century.
In the same Q&A, Putin uttered "God knows" why
the "New Russian" regions became Ukrainian
territory in the 1920s.
This area, shown below, today represents an area
of southern Ukraine and borders the controversial
Crimea region, which claimed independence
earlier this year.
The area of 'New Russia' which Putin now refers
to in Ukraine. (WikiCommons)
Putin's use of the nostalgic term rings of similar
calls of historical ties to the Crimea region before
Russia annexed the peninsula, again heightening
fears that the Imperial Russian Bear has its sights
set on territory that they still believe to be
Russian at heart.
The Ukrainian regions that "Novorossiya" refers to
are Donetsk, Odessa, Kharkiv and Dnipropetrovsk.
Putin has repeatedly stated his intention to
protect ethnic Russians living in these regions due
to the strong cultural connection between them
and "Mother Russia".
"We must do everything to help these people to
protect their rights and independently determine
their own destiny," he said in April.
Ukraine is in both Russia's perceived "sphere of
influence" and the "shared neighbourhood" with
the European Union and the Nato military alliance.
It is a nation torn between the attraction of a
modern West and its own eastern Soviet history.
Approximately 21% of Ukraine's population is
Russian and it has deep cultural and historical
links with Russia. The Russian ambassador to
Ukraine has even stated that "Ukrainians and
Russians are a single nation".
For now, it seems that Putin, like his ambassador,
is intent on framing the Ukrainian rebels as an
extension of Russia itself and as part of a "New
Russia".
Whether his future actions reflect the
controversial rhetoric remains to be seen, but to
label the rebels as a "Novorossiya" militia itself is
a politically-charged move which is sure to
agitate Kiev's elite.
Related
Ukraine Crisis: Nato Satellite Images of
Russian Troops in Ukrainian Territory
Ukraine: Pro-Russian Rebels Torture and Kill
Civilians
Russia Dismisses Nato's Claim of Ukraine
Incursion
Ukraine's President Poroshenko: 'Russia Has
Invaded'
Russia Begins 'Full-Scale Invasion' of Ukraine
as World Leaders Scramble
Ukraine Crisis: Moscow Accused of 'Full-Scale
Invasion' as Rebel Leader Admits to Russian
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http://www.ibtimes.co.uk/why-vladimir-putin-referring-eastern-ukraine-new-russia-1463130

That's fair.
Same thing USA did to Mexico (New Mexico and Texas)
Oppression everywhere.

Novorossiya wasn't invented by Putin.

that has been the name of Eastern Ukraine since the 18th century