the longer run, become victims? yes, it is definitely this fear which compels a lot of people to leave russia, and not onlyjews. and if you would like to describe the different fears which were expressed also to me for people, i m speaking to a lot of people who are still in russia and speaking to hundreds of people who left russia to other countries, especially to israel. so, a, there s this fear that we re going back, we re going to back to a. ..to a situation which is, it has been called the soviet union lite, back to the soviet union. now we know that one of the most important elements of the cold war, of the warsaw pact, soviet union, was the berlin wall, was the inability of citizens of the eastern bloc
of the most important elements of the cold war, of the warsaw pact, soviet union, was the berlin wall, was the inability of citizens of the eastern bloc to leave the country. you need an exit visa. so with this return to, in many ways, we re returning to the soviet union. look at the rhetoric. look at that. ..there are almost no relationship between east and west. no communications, almost no communications by air. visas have become extremely difficult to get. not only do you say visas have become more difficult to get, but we now know the russian government is pushing to shut down the activities of thejewish agency inside russia. the agency, of course, being the main vehicle for helping jews make the journey to a new life in israel. you have said that that
with around 100,000 russian troops massed near ukraine s borders. and also in belarus which would allow them if they wanted to to be able to move into the northern border. president putin has publicly stated his belief that russia and ukraine are one people. he claims one of his key concerns is the expansion of nato, the military alliance of european and north american countries. many countries in eastern europe became members after the fall of the soviet union. they had been members of what was called the warsaw pact, a defence pact between members of the soviet union. the russian president s demand that ukraine will never be allowed tojoin nato has been rejected. although privately few western governments assume it will happen any time soon. here s our diplomatic correspondent james landale. across russia, military exercises are gathering pace as its troops continue to mass or ukraine s borders. on land, air and sea russian forces are training and preparing. but for what?
with the so-called donbass republic, so a. . , ., with the so-called donbass republic, soa. . , .,, so a. but that used to be part ukraine until so a. but that used to be part ukraine until not so a. but that used to be part ukraine until not that so a. but that used to be part ukraine until not that long - so a. but that used to be part ukraine until not that long ago. absolutely, certainly part of ukraine, but if you recall, the minsk agreement of 2015, ukraine and sat in the west six years to sort it out, basically, absolutely, they should return, that was the idea, to ukrainian sovereignty but with a certain amount of devolution. what certain amount of devolution. what eo - le certain amount of devolution. what peeple seem certain amount of devolution. what peeple seem to certain amount of devolution. what people seem to struggle with is, you re absolutely right about what you re absolutely right about what you say was in the agreements drawn up you say was in the agree
that s a very interesting question, and first that s a very interesting question, and first of that s a very interesting question, and first of all i would really like to get and first of all i would really like to get back to the whole history of nato expansion. there were never any formal nato expansion. there were never any formal promises made to russia that nato would not expand. there were discussions, russia basically asked the question of whether nato was still useful after the fall of the soviet still useful after the fall of the soviet union and the dismemberment of the soviet union and the dismemberment of the warsaw pact. what happened is these newly independent states who would these newly independent states who would been invaded by the soviet union, would been invaded by the soviet union, which was now for them russia a successor union, which was now for them russia a successor state to, these newly independent states felt very insecure. they had a relative