 Russian Empire should grow to encompass three U.S. states – Finland, Poland, Russian political scientists. In a recent appearance on Russia's state-run television, Russian political scientist Sergei Mikheyev suggested that the country's empire should grow to encompass three American states. According to Newsweek, the clip of the remarks began to circulate on social media when it was shared by Anton Gerashchenko, an outspoken critic of Russia and a former adviser to Ukraine's Minister of Internal Affairs, to ex. In it, Mikheyev mentioned the territory he would like to see taken over by Russia, including three of the westernmost American states and two North Atlantic Treaty Organization member nations in Europe. I want to see the Russian Empire with Alaska, Hawaii, California, Finland and Poland, he said, as translated by Gerashchenko for the clip he shared. Although Poland and Finland are so stinky, I'm not sure, to be honest. We'll clean them. Near the end of the clip, the host of the program was quick to deflate Mikheyev's comment as wishful thinking, divorced from actual politics. Yes, but again, wishful thinking is one thing and actual politics is another, the host said. Gerashchenko, meanwhile, was less keen to write off the political scientist's comments as fantasy. Russian propagandists dream about the new world order Gerashchenko wrote. And you know what? They mean it. The territory now known as Alaska was colonized by Russia prior to its purchase by the United States in 1867 for the modern equivalent of around $152 million. In the wake of Russia's invasion of Ukraine in 2022 and its heightened rhetoric about attempting to annex other countries and territories, suggestions about retaking Alaska from the U.S. have become prevalent. In a December post to social media, also translated by Gerashchenko, Russian lawmaker Sergei Mironov suggested that U.S. oversight was weakening and alluded to Alaska while discussing land that could be taken from it. Did you want a new world order? Here we go, he wrote. Venezuela is annexing its 24th state, Guyana Esaquibo. This is happening right under the nose of the once great Hegemon USA. All that's left is for Mexico to take back Texas and the rest of the territories. It's time for Americans to think about their future and also about Alaska. Putin boasts of strikes on Ukrainian energy infrastructure calls them demilitarization. Vladimir Putin has boasted of Russian strikes on Ukrainian energy infrastructure facilities and called them demilitarization at the meeting with Alexander Lukashenko, president of Belarus. If everything is looped into solving the issues we have been talking about from the very beginning and in the energy sector they are connected in particular with solving one of the tasks we set for ourselves, demilitarization. The Russian president said Putin claimed that Russian strikes on energy infrastructure affect the defense industrial complex of Ukraine. The impact is direct, Putin said. As a result of the Russian large-scale attack, fires broke out at energy infrastructure facilities in Lviv, Odessa and Zaporizia Oblast and the debris of downed drones fell in the open in Mykolaiv Oblast. It was reported earlier that the Russians attacked energy facilities in Kiev and Kharkiv Oblasts. After another missile attack by the Russians, President Volodymyr Zelensky stated that Ukraine needs strong air defense and other defensive support, not ignoring and lengthy discussions. Putin has called the peace summit in Switzerland, to which Russia has not been invited, a panopticon. As you know, the idea of holding some conference in Switzerland is being prompted now and we are not invited. Moreover, they believe there is nothing for us to do there and at the same time they say that nothing can be resolved without us. And since we are not going, they say that we are refusing to negotiate. It is some kind of panopticon, Putin said. For reference, a panopticon is a design for a high-security prison building with a control system that allows a single warden to observe all the prisoners at once without being noticed. Putin also claimed that he is in favor of negotiations, but not in the format of imposing schemes that have nothing to do with reality. The Russian leader also noted that Russia does not aim to put everything in a difficult position.