普京专权弄权是大家都看见的。他在乌克兰问题上的强硬，很容易理解是他国内政治得分的工具。联想起台湾问题，不由得好奇去读了普京半年前写的那篇很长的关于乌克兰的essay。总的印象是，这件事上普京不是玩一般意义下的政客障眼法，他在情感上陷得很深，甚至可以说是浪漫。细思极恐，除非他的理性也一样的强。
他写得很长，我就摘几段让我印象最深的吧。
开篇是这样的：“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.”
我认为，普京是动了真感情的。说兄弟间反目为仇是我们共同的不幸和悲剧，其实是在恳求对方谅解历史上俄罗斯做的种种伤害乌克兰的事，比如列宁、斯大林时期对乌克兰的强制征粮，人造饥荒。普京在劝说对方不要被外部势力利用时还强调，现在的危机，first and foremost，是我们双方各个历史时期的错误的恶果。如果你把整篇文章读下来，就会发现普京对历史和文字的驾驭能力，比港台办高明太多了。
“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.
上面，普京把斯拉夫人的分裂与过去蒙古人的侵略联系了起来。史实也的确如此。
……
“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?“
几个世纪的分裂，造成了俄语和乌克兰语这两种方言。但这也丰富了我们共同的文学遗产。塔拉斯·舍甫琴科（乌克兰作家）用乌克兰语写诗，又用俄语写散文。为什么我们要分开？
“ 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.“
在回顾了10月革命，乌克兰并入苏联的历史后，普京指责布尔什维克把各族人民当成他们社会实验中用之不竭的耗材。因为世界革命是要消灭国家的，于是各个加盟共和国的疆域就像礼物一样送来送去。今天人们可以就这些疆域划分的细节，历史背景和逻辑，争论不休，但一个史实无容置疑，那就是大俄罗斯都被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.“
上面这段是普京的狠话。
最后，普京苦口婆心地问，难道我们不可以有像美国和加拿大的关系？
“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.“