On August 19th 2022 thee electronic edition of The New York Times briefly ran a lead article entitled “Odessa is Defiant: it’s also Putin’s Ultimate Goal.” The article was quickly taken down, but it’s good to have raised the question what IS Putin’s “ultimate goal”?
s it really Odessa, and with it a strong presence in the Black Sea?. Or is it to Consolidate control over Crimea? Nibble away at the turf in eastern Ukraine? Recover the glory and grandeur of the pre-1991 Soviet Union? Or what?
A lot will depend on the answer when, inevitably, peace talks begin. The answer may be right there before us, hidden in the plain sight of Putin’s name. Let me explain.
First, a crude generalization, but perhaps a revealing one. about naming a child:
The further east one goes among so-called Christian countries the more seriously are personal names taken
In America even parents who go regularly to church are likely to give their child a name that just “sounds good,” or pays tribute to a pop culture idol, or occasionally to a grandparent or a favorite aunt or uncle. In Britain, I suspect, names are more likely to have a historic echo, George and Arthur, for example. In Italy Leonardo leads the pack, for obvious reasons.
But in countries where Orthodox Christianity is prominent Saints’ names appear more frequently, and birthday celebrations are eclipsed by the saint’s day of the namesake.
In Russia nearly three million people have the name Vladimir,, including the head of state. It’s the name of a warrior and conquered turned saint. And in a country were political and ecclesiastical authorities often work hand in hand, it is a name of potentially great significance., especially if the person so named internalizes it, sees it as part of his identity, lets it shape his ambitions.
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So what about “Vladimir”? It’s the name of a ferocious tenth century warrior based not in Russia but in Kyiv where the cathedral is named after him (In Ukrainian his name is spelled Volodymyr). As nearly as I can tell, he never traveled as far east as Moscow,, but that did not stop Putin who in 2016 Putin unveiled a 17.5 meter high monumentin his honor. At the ceremony Putin said, “He laid the moral foundation on which our lives are still based today. It was a strong moral bearing, solidarity and unity which helped our ancestors overcome difficulties and win victories for the glory of the fatherland, making it stronger and greater with each generation … Today it is our duty to stand together against contemporary challenges and threatsing our spiritual legacy and our invaluable traditions of unity to go forward and continue our thousand-year history.”
Fine words but what is now Ukraine, not modern Russia, was the center of Vladimir’s empire and his greatest architectural monument remains, the Cathedral of Agia Sophia in Kiev. whose construction, modelled after Agia Sophia in Constantinople, may have begun as early as 1011 under Vladimir himself.
Vladimir converted to Christianity in 988 and saw to it that his subjects converted as well. No wonder then that he is often called “the Great,” and is widely venerated and was canonized as a saint recognized by both Roman Catholic and Orthodox churches. In the Russian Orthodox church he is one of the most widely venerated saint and regarded as “The Baptiser of Russia and Equal of the Apostles.” ,
His conquests include much of what is now Poland, Lithuania and the Baltic states. If Putin is modelling himself on his namesake, his “ultimate goal” is likely to involve the subjugation of these countries .
If your name is “Vladimir,” Kiev is in your bones. (or more precisely in the relic bones of Saint Vladimir which were originally in Kiev but were brought in 1635 to Moscow. The Soviets, of course, treated them not as sacred objects but as historical artifacts, property of the State. In 2010, however, under president Dmitry Medevede these relics “ were solemnly given to the Russian Orthodox Church and placed inside the Patriarchal Cathedral in Moscow. Inn 2015 , the 1000th anniversary of Vladimir’s death, under the rule of president Putin, and with the support of his ally, the Patriarch of Moscow, Kyrill I., the relics were sent to cities and towns in Russia and Belarus for veneration. The bones were fervently venerated, not only in the Russian towns and cities , often in remote northern regions, but also, strategically, in Belarus. At every stage they were presented as “the embodiment of an ideal and wise ruler.” The message was clear: the sainted Vladimir was an exemplar of both religious and secular power. Perhaps his cntemporary namesake was , too.
It is not easy for secular western observers to comprehend what’s in this name, but if in Russia you name your child Vladimir, you send a powerful message, especially if over time the new Vladimir internalizes it as his identity, and sees the advantages of such a name. If so, it may kindle ambitions which can not be quenched except by the waters of the Baltic Sea.
s it really Odessa, and with it a strong presence in the Black Sea?. Or is it to Consolidate control over Crimea? Nibble away at the turf in eastern Ukraine? Recover the glory and grandeur of the pre-1991 Soviet Union? Or what?
A lot will depend on the answer when, inevitably, peace talks begin. The answer may be right there before us, hidden in the plain sight of Putin’s name. Let me explain.
First, a crude generalization, but perhaps a revealing one. about naming a child:
The further east one goes among so-called Christian countries the more seriously are personal names taken
In America even parents who go regularly to church are likely to give their child a name that just “sounds good,” or pays tribute to a pop culture idol, or occasionally to a grandparent or a favorite aunt or uncle. In Britain, I suspect, names are more likely to have a historic echo, George and Arthur, for example. In Italy Leonardo leads the pack, for obvious reasons.
But in countries where Orthodox Christianity is prominent Saints’ names appear more frequently, and birthday celebrations are eclipsed by the saint’s day of the namesake.
In Russia nearly three million people have the name Vladimir,, including the head of state. It’s the name of a warrior and conquered turned saint. And in a country were political and ecclesiastical authorities often work hand in hand, it is a name of potentially great significance., especially if the person so named internalizes it, sees it as part of his identity, lets it shape his ambitions.
--
So what about “Vladimir”? It’s the name of a ferocious tenth century warrior based not in Russia but in Kyiv where the cathedral is named after him (In Ukrainian his name is spelled Volodymyr). As nearly as I can tell, he never traveled as far east as Moscow,, but that did not stop Putin who in 2016 Putin unveiled a 17.5 meter high monumentin his honor. At the ceremony Putin said, “He laid the moral foundation on which our lives are still based today. It was a strong moral bearing, solidarity and unity which helped our ancestors overcome difficulties and win victories for the glory of the fatherland, making it stronger and greater with each generation … Today it is our duty to stand together against contemporary challenges and threatsing our spiritual legacy and our invaluable traditions of unity to go forward and continue our thousand-year history.”
Fine words but what is now Ukraine, not modern Russia, was the center of Vladimir’s empire and his greatest architectural monument remains, the Cathedral of Agia Sophia in Kiev. whose construction, modelled after Agia Sophia in Constantinople, may have begun as early as 1011 under Vladimir himself.
Vladimir converted to Christianity in 988 and saw to it that his subjects converted as well. No wonder then that he is often called “the Great,” and is widely venerated and was canonized as a saint recognized by both Roman Catholic and Orthodox churches. In the Russian Orthodox church he is one of the most widely venerated saint and regarded as “The Baptiser of Russia and Equal of the Apostles.” ,
His conquests include much of what is now Poland, Lithuania and the Baltic states. If Putin is modelling himself on his namesake, his “ultimate goal” is likely to involve the subjugation of these countries .
If your name is “Vladimir,” Kiev is in your bones. (or more precisely in the relic bones of Saint Vladimir which were originally in Kiev but were brought in 1635 to Moscow. The Soviets, of course, treated them not as sacred objects but as historical artifacts, property of the State. In 2010, however, under president Dmitry Medevede these relics “ were solemnly given to the Russian Orthodox Church and placed inside the Patriarchal Cathedral in Moscow. Inn 2015 , the 1000th anniversary of Vladimir’s death, under the rule of president Putin, and with the support of his ally, the Patriarch of Moscow, Kyrill I., the relics were sent to cities and towns in Russia and Belarus for veneration. The bones were fervently venerated, not only in the Russian towns and cities , often in remote northern regions, but also, strategically, in Belarus. At every stage they were presented as “the embodiment of an ideal and wise ruler.” The message was clear: the sainted Vladimir was an exemplar of both religious and secular power. Perhaps his cntemporary namesake was , too.
It is not easy for secular western observers to comprehend what’s in this name, but if in Russia you name your child Vladimir, you send a powerful message, especially if over time the new Vladimir internalizes it as his identity, and sees the advantages of such a name. If so, it may kindle ambitions which can not be quenched except by the waters of the Baltic Sea.