Russia Hints at Future Annexation

Russian official Dmitry Medvedev hinted that Russia may seek to annex the Georgian regions of Abkhazia and South Ossetia. On August 23, the former Russian president said that “the idea of joining Russia [in the two regions] is still popular” and “it may well be implemented, if there are good reasons for it.”

Georgian officials denied the possibility. Sergey Shamba, the secretary of Abkhazia’s security council, said “no political entities” want to join Russia and Abkhazia has not received any such requests.

Regardless, it is possible that Russian President Vladimir Putin may officially annex these regions that he put under de facto Russian control in 2008.

Putin blames the North Atlantic Treaty Organization for forcing Russian retaliation since it allows former Soviet nations to voluntarily join its ranks. Following his illegal annexation of Ukraine’s Crimean Peninsula, he said, “Russia found itself in a position it could not retreat from. If you compress the spring all the way to its limit, it will snap back hard.”

Russian leadership may feel increasingly “compressed” regarding Georgia because:

• Last year, Georgia officially applied to join the European Union.
• Last month, nato discussed Georgia’s possible admission.
• Russia’s leadership would like to turn the attention of its population away from the faltering war on Ukraine and toward an exciting new victory.

The Russo-Ukrainian War shows that Russia will find reason where there is none to reconquer former Soviet states. Bible prophecy backs that claim, foretelling that Putin’s pro-Soviet spirit will return Russia to superpower status.

Based on prophecies in Ezekiel, Jeremiah and elsewhere, Trumpet editor in chief Gerald Flurry says Putin will succeed in many of his efforts to revive the Soviet Union.

To learn how Russia fits into Bible prophecy, request your free copy of The Prophesied ‘Prince of Russia.’