A meaningful gift. as reported The worldon the occasion of the year-end meeting of Heads of State and Government of the CIS (Commonwealth of Independent States that includes Belarus, Armenia, Azerbaijan, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Uzbekistan, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan and Russia) which was held in San Petersburg on Monday, Russian President Vladimir Putin presented a historic gift to each of the eight presidents of these countries.
The Fellowship of the Ring
Each leader of the states involved in this intergovernmental organization, which brings together the former Soviet entities, received a white and yellow gold ring embellished with the CIS symbol and with the inscriptions “Happy New Year 2023” and “Russia”.
According to Moscow TimesBelarusian President Alexander Lukashenko, whose country has long been affiliated with Moscow, was quick to put the ring on his finger.
As the evening paper points out, it is impossible not to see a reference to the nine rings of the Lord of the Rings, the work of JRR Tolkien. Above all because since the beginning of the war, on the Ukrainian side, the book is frequently cited to describe the conflict, which could be summed up in Middle-earth, Ukraine, attacked by Russia, represented by Mordor, entities of this universe.
Furthermore, still according to The worldRussian soldiers are nicknamed “orcs” in popular parlance, creatures also present in Tolkien’s work.
In times of war, symbolism is obviously important. If Ukraine, for its part, has sided with unconventional communication towards the West on social networks, Russia opts for a more “traditional” tone, while imposing here the sacred union on its partners forever.
It is also a way of strengthening ties with certain countries tempted by a move away from Russia, as happened recently with Kazakhstan and, to a lesser extent, with Uzbekistan.
Source: BFM TV
