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The day that will live in infamy

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The time when Putin showed his true colors in Hamburg 30 years ago: Estonian President Lennart Meri warned against Russian great power fantasies at a banquet in Hamburg in 1994. The deputy mayor of St. Petersburg completely freaked out in the hall. His name: Vladimir Putin

Translation: Baroque string music drifts down from the gallery. Gigantic chandeliers illuminate the festively laid tables. Men in tuxedos entertain women in evening dress with weighty mansplaining. It can be so peaceful at the Matthiae-Mahl, supposedly the oldest banquet in the world, held in the Great Banqueting Hall of Hamburg City Hall since 1356. And usually not much happens. Except that the left-wingers reliably pestle against the lavish Hanseatic feast in the run-up to the event or an honorary consul throws down her coffee cup. Only once in the feast's almost 700-year history has anything really happened. The man who is currently keeping the world on tenterhooks caused a scandal at the traditional Happen Happening. His name: Vladimir Vladimirovich Putin, Russian president, amateur historian and war criminal. Hardly anyone knew him 30 years ago. At the time, Putin was the deputy mayor of St. Petersburg, Hamburg's twin city. One of many up-and-coming political talents - with a very, very short fuse. Putin gave a taste of his almost indomitable irascibility on February 25, 1994: at an advanced hour, the man from Russia suddenly flipped out completely, as "Die Zeit" vividly wrote at the time: "The crumpled up napkin is peppered next to the crest-adorned wine goblet so that the white candles flicker. With his knees bent, casting a contemptuous glance at his host, he leaves the hall, each step accompanied by the creaking of the parquet floor. A murmur follows him. Who was it? What's wrong with him?" When he reached the end of the room, the Russian Rumpelstiltskin, according to the weekly newspaper, tore open the heavy double door and thundered it shut behind him. What had happened? Had he not enjoyed the venison terrine or the saddle of fallow deer with cranberry crust? No, Putin had been annoyed. He was annoyed with Estonian President Lennart Meri, who was the guest of honor at the Hamburg Matthiae meal that year. Meri, whose country had only freed itself from the Soviet yoke three years earlier, warned the 400 or so guests gathered in his speech that the Russians were striving for dominance in Eastern Europe. The Estonian president said at the time: "I would like to tell you quite frankly that my people and I are watching with some concern how little the West understands what is currently brewing in the vastness of Russia." Lennart Meri emphatically pointed out the danger of Russia's great power fantasies - and condemned the prevailing Western appeasement policy. "With this approach, you unwittingly become an accomplice of the imperialist forces in Russia, who believe that they can solve their country's immense problems by expanding outwards and threatening their neighbors," said Meri. As the Russian invasion of Ukraine in 2022 proved even to the last Putin-understander, the Estonian president's fears were completely justified at the time - but unfortunately hardly anyone really listened to him. Instead, Hamburg's haute volee sipped indifferently from their wine glasses and rammed their silver spoons into the dessert: ice charlotte with pears. Only one of them pricked up his ears - and threw a hissy fit because he knew exactly how accurate Meri's diagnosis was. 30 years after Putin's legendary outburst of rage, an Estonian politician was once again invited to the Matthiae meal as the guest of honor: Prime Minister Kaja Kallas. The politician vehemently called on the West to continue supporting Ukraine. Addressing Federal Chancellor Olaf Scholz, who was also present, she said: "Let us not be afraid of our own power." Last week, Russia put Kallas on the wanted list because she had an old Soviet monument in Estonia torn down. This did not stop Kallas from clearly condemning Russian aggression. She also briefly addressed Putin's outburst in 1994. Just as she was talking about how the then deputy mayor of St. Petersburg had walked away with heavy steps 30 years ago, an object banged loudly on the parquet floor in the ballroom. It wasn't the ghost of Putin, just a journalist's cell phone. Nevertheless, the crowd froze for a brief moment. The blonde prime minister in the green dress just smiled - and continued with her combative speech. "Our strength is greater than Russia's."

https://www.spiegel.de/geschichte/wladimir-putin-und-sein-prophetischer-polit-ausraster-als-er-1994-in-hamburg-sein-wahres-gesicht-zeigte-a-49bbaba0-7f58-48a1-bffe-bd31e767838f

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2024/02/22
07:30 UTC

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