Jens Asbjørn Bøgen
He also believes, that Ukraine will take control of the EU politically.
Russian media is known for keeping a very tight grip on what is being said, especially about the war in Ukraine.
Now and again, a commentator gets away with saying something not in line with the Kremlin’s narrative of the war, but you can be sure that most of the comments being made are in line with the official Russian narrative.
That being said, sometimes Russian television supplies us with quotes and theories so far out that a science fiction writer would deem them “too unrealistic.”
Well, get ready …
Ukraine will lead the EU
Speaking on the prime-time TV show “The Meeting Place”, Anton Khaschenko, a political scientist, takes the floor and puts forward a theory about what would happen if Ukraine is accepted into the European Union.
He begins by saying that the West has “birthed a monster”, referring to the Ukrainian president, Volodymyr Zelenskyy, and that the West doesn’t know what to do with it.
After taking a jab at the President of the European Commission, Ursula von der Leyen, Khaschenko then puts forward the theory that, if Ukraine is admitted into the European Union after the war ends, it could have devastating consequences for the Union.
“If we imagine for a moment that, after the conflict ends, the Kyiv regime remains in place, their army remains in place, Europe re-arms this army, and Ukraine is accepted into the European Union, believe me, five years later the European Union will be led not by Germany, France, not by Italy, Poland or whoever else is there — Ukraine will rule there,” he says.
Can march across the entire Europe
That theory in itself seems far-fetched from a Western perspective, but Khaschenko then goes on to his second claim.
He predicts that, when Ukraine takes control of the EU, there will be an “understanding” in the Union that, if the Ukrainian army wanted to, “it could march across the whole of Europe, and neither the French, German nor any other army will be able to stop it.”
One of the Russian demands for a peace deal with Ukraine is a “demilitarization” of the country. What that means exactly is a matter of debate, but in the 28-point peace plan drafted by the U.S. and Russia in November 2025, one of the points was that the Ukrainian Armed Forces would be limited to 600,000 personnel.
Before the war started, Ukraine had approximately 250,000 military personnel. During the war, that number has multiplied and is now approximately 800,000, according to Axios.
You can watch the episode of “The Meeting Place” with English subtitles on YouTube here (opens new tab). Khaschenko’s rant starts approx. 6 minutes in.
Sources: Russian Media Monitor (YouTube), Institute for the Study of War (ISW), Axios
