As a New Year’s gift, the President of Russia presented eight rings, which also stand for sacred union with the former members of the USSR.
A meaningful gift. As reported by Le Monde, at the end-of-year meeting of the heads of state and government of the CIS (Commonwealth of Independent States, which includes Belarus, Armenia, Azerbaijan, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Uzbekistan, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan and Russia) held in Saint Petersburg on Monday Russian President Vladimir Putin gave each of the eight Presidents of these countries a milestone gift.
The Fellowship of the Ring
Each leader of the states participating in this intergovernmental organization uniting the former Soviet units received a white and yellow gold ring adorned with the symbol of the CIS and with the inscriptions “Happy New Year 2023” and “Russia”. .
According to the Moscow Times, Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko, whose country has long been associated with Moscow, quickly put the ring on his finger.
As The Evening Paper points out, it’s impossible to miss a reference to the nine rings from The Lord of the Rings, the work of JRR Tolkien. Especially since since the beginning of the war on the Ukrainian side, the book is often quoted to describe the conflict that could be summed up in Middle-earth, Ukraine, attacked by Russia, represented by Mordor, entities specific to this universe.
Furthermore, according to Le Monde, Russian soldiers are still referred to in vernacular as “orcs,” creatures also found in Tolkien’s work.
In times of war, symbolism is obviously important. For its part, while Ukraine takes the side of unconventional communication towards the West on social networks, Russia opts for a more “traditional” tone, while always imposing the sacred union on its partners here.
It’s also a way to strengthen ties with certain countries tempted to move away from Russia, as has happened recently for Kazakhstan and, to a lesser extent, Uzbekistan.