For months, Putin claimed to "denazify" Ukraine and counter the "NATO threat" or, alternatively, to eliminate any Ukrainian laboratories for the production of weapons of mass destruction. Now, on Thursday, Putin explained in a chatty tone to students what it is really about: land grabbing.

Putin compared himself to Peter the Great, who did not steal territory from Sweden during the 21-year Great Northern War, but, according to Putin's reading, only took back land that was rightfully Russian. "He took back (territories) and strengthened (Russia), that's what he did," Putin said, then applied that to the present: "Obviously, now it's our destiny to take back and strengthen as well."

There is no clearer way to name the imperial ambitions Putin is pursuing in Eastern Europe, which go far beyond Ukraine. It is simply a matter of bringing territory once occupied by the Soviet Union back into the Russian empire. And not about allegedly "legitimate security interests," as Putin apologists in the West have claimed for so long.

Ukraine is to become Russian. That is why the Russian conquerors are now doing in the newly occupied territories what they already did in 2014 in Crimea and in the so-called Donetsk and Luhansk People's Republics: They are preparing for an annexation. The occupied part of Ukraine is to become a federal district of Russia.

And Moscow already has its eye on the next victim of Russian imperialism: A new Duma motion wants to revoke the recognition of Lithuania's independence. For in Putin's world view there are only sovereign states or colonies, as he himself says, and nothing in between. For him, the nations of Eastern Europe fall into the category of colonies.