‘America has legitimized redrawing the world map’ Russia’s pro-invasion bloggers have spent years defending a brutal war in Ukraine. Here’s how they responded to Donald Trump’s threat to seize Greenland.
For nearly three years, a thriving blogosphere has cheered and chronicled the full-scale invasion of Ukraine — a war sold to the public as a “special military operation” necessary for Russia’s national security. These writers, known colloquially as “war correspondents” and Z-bloggers, are some of Russia’s most outspoken critics of the United States, where the Biden administration has denounced Moscow’s illegal land grab in Ukraine and sent tens of billions of dollars in military aid to help Kyiv fight back against invasion and annexation. Given this history, many Z-bloggers are busy recalibrating ahead of Donald Trump’s looming return to the White House.
This week, the U.S. president-elect tested Z-bloggers’ grasp of the White House to come when he refused to foreswear military or economic coercion to gain control over Greenland and the Panama Canal. “People really don’t even know if Denmark has any legal right to [the former], but if they do, they should give it up because we need it for national security,” Trump explained, demonstrating a worldview that resonates with many of the writers in Russia who have devoted the past several years to defending a less hypothetical territorial expansion. So far, Moscow has downplayed the remarks, reasoning that Trump still isn’t president, so he doesn’t yet speak “on behalf of the government and the people of the United States in an official capacity.” But Russian bloggers have been less guarded. Meduza reviews responses from some of Telegram’s most prominent Z-channels.
There is no consensus among Russian Z-bloggers about Donald Trump’s designs on Greenland, though clear schools of thought have emerged. This community of self-styled “patriotic writers” has unsurprisingly approached the story from the perspective of Russia’s national security interests. For several Z-bloggers, Trump’s willingness to discuss military force against peaceful states vindicates Moscow’s long-held worldview that naked interests drive geopolitics. A White House that openly acknowledges this way of the world might even find a new relationship with the Kremlin. At the same time, others warn that Russia should fear American encroachments in the Arctic rather than celebrate a rhetorical break with liberal democratic values.
“Starshe Eddy," written primarily by German Kulikovsky (609,740 subscribers)
[Trump] will dismantle the remnants of the old world order, along with the illusions of both elites and the masses, far more quickly and reliably than we [Russians] ever could — because we attack it from the outside, while he undermines it from within. He understands that the current world order, if left to inertia, spells degradation and the slow death of the United States within a few decades.
The “Greenland scenario” could lead to NATO’s dissolution, but even if the Danes can be “persuaded” to concede the territory to Trump, it would be a “splendid” demonstration of the “balance of power” and “the real position of players,” the Starshe Eddy channel explained.
Is this to our advantage? Undoubtedly. This is the very same world order designed to bring about our own decline and gradual demise, and through somewhat similar scenarios. So, despite the tactical differences in the goals pursued by us and Trump, our strategic objectives align: The old system of alliances and obligations must die, and actors redefining their relationships on its ruins will have to start from scratch.
“WarGonzo,” written primarily by Semyon Pegov (996,500 subscribers)
Bloggers at WarGonzo focused their response on how Trump’s northern misadventures might influence how far Russia takes its demands in Ukraine (and in Moldova and the Baltic states). “The losers of the new year promise to be Denmark and Canada — Ukrainian neo-Nazis’ most rabid accomplices,” the channel quipped.
Perhaps in six months, negotiations over Ukraine will involve [Russian demands for] the inclusion of several other historically Russian-speaking regions: the Odesa region, the Mykolaiv region, the Dnipro region, the Kharkiv region, the Lithuanian region, the Latvian region, the Estonian region, the Moldovan region. After prolonged debates and mutual threats, we may compromise in the latter four by keeping only Transnistria and a very wide Suwalki Corridor [the area around the border between Lithuania and Poland].
And we’ll turn a blind eye to the liberation of Canada. Except for Quebec, of course — it should return to its rightful home in France. But only after [Marine] Le Pen comes to power there.
“Zhivov Z,” written primarily by Alexey Zhivov (114,300 subscribers)
Trump’s willingness to annex two to three major countries in pursuit of U.S. economic and military interests marks the beginning of a new era in international relations — an era of land redistribution. Russia and Israel already made territorial acquisitions, directly or indirectly, before [Trump’s] statement, but the United States has now legitimized the process of redrawing the world map and is ready to lead it.
Zhivov also wrote that the world should expect “increased activity” from China and Turkey.
“Dva Majors,” reportedly founded by brother and sister Dmitry Korzin and Ekaterina Korzina (1.2 million subscribers)
Trump is signaling his designs and those of his corporate allies on the Arctic. Natural resources, including rare earth metals, are essential for industrial development and meeting energy demands.
Dva Majors argues that the Kremlin previously demonstrated its awareness of Arctic competition when it tried in 2020 to formalize the external border of Russia’s continental shelf. “A brutal Arctic war with Putin is looming,” the channel wrote, citing a recent article published by the British tabloid The Sun.
Alexander Kots, Komsomolskaya Pravda war correspondent (585,935 subscribers)
Global politics is increasingly starting to resemble either street brawls or gangster squabbles. Not that it was ever characterized by gentlemanly conduct and mutual respect, but at least there used to be some semblance of decorum — swept away now by the winds of the Special Military Operation [sic].
A serious shake-up was needed to strip away the heavy makeup of international norms, democracy, tolerance, and other such nonsense that had been painted on the aging face of the “enlightened West.” The mask has now fallen from the West’s satellites, too.
The neighborhood thug type that confronts us today is familiar to anyone who grew up [in Russia] in the 1990s. With his smug face, contrived bravado, and signature swagger. Back then, some tried to call his bluff, others relied on sheer numbers, and some resorted to verbal acrobatics. Think of [Elon] Musk today, like a bully hiding behind the “king of the block,” hurling offensive “compliments” at European and Canadian leaders.
Meanwhile, the actual “king of the block” is calling out a neighboring area, hoping to expand his sphere of influence. There are no rules and no principles. Just grab it however you can. At least we grounded our Ukraine operation in both historical and existential justifications.
Kots told readers to expect efforts from other world leaders in the spirit of Trump’s Greenland gambit. President Ilham Aliyev will likely pursue control over the Zangezur corridor in Armenia’s Syunik Province to gain unimpeded access to Azerbaijan’s landlocked exclave, the Nakhchivan Autonomous Republic. Meanwhile, Turkish President Recep Erdogan “prepares for war against the Kurds on Syrian territory.”
“International law didn’t die today. It perished long ago, alongside the bombings of Belgrade and Colin Powell’s test tube,” said Kots, arguing that Westerners ignored national sovereignty violations until the phenomenon jumped from the Third World into their backyards. “But the appetites of the world’s leading thugs have grown. Now, they extend to respectable neighborhoods, where it was once considered unacceptable to enter wearing tracksuits. And now the facade is gone,” Kots wrote. The “war correspondent” then reassured his audience, reminding readers that Russia has “the best army in the world” and “knows how to talk to thugs.”
In a separate Telegram post, Kots focused on the intensifying competition among Arctic powers:
As a businessman, Trump realizes that, by 2030, as ice melting intensifies, Arctic powers will begin vying for control of this region in hopes of accessing the natural resources hidden beneath the seabed. By incorporating Greenland and Canada, Washington would firmly secure second place after Russia in terms of the continental shelf area under its control.
Kots pointed out that the U.S. suffers from a critical shortage of icebreaker ships. Absorbing Canada would add an entire fleet of icebreakers, bringing Washington closer to parity with Moscow, said Kots, warning that the Americans will “make trouble however they can” to challenge Russia’s predominance of the region.
“Arkhangel Spetsnaza,” founded by Evgeny Zhulidov and reportedly transferred to the control of Russia’s Airborne Forces Command (1.2 million subscribers)
Claims to Greenland, despite visits and other gestures, still look more like political probing. The seriousness of these intentions will become clear after taking power, which will happen very soon. For now, we’ll evaluate this as a game by the new president.
From a geographical perspective, Greenland is important as a strategic element in the confrontation in the Arctic. Even during the Cold War, Greenland was home to the U.S. Thule Air Base, where B-52H nuclear-capable bombers were stationed.
Why? Because flying directly over the Arctic is the fastest way to reach Russia. […] So, Trump’s interest in this island is explained not only by its natural resources but also by its military position, which is extremely convenient for ensuring dominance in the region.
Text by Kevin Rothrock
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