At its height in the 13th and 14th centuries, the Mongol Empire was the largest contiguous empire in history—all the more notable in that it emerged from several nomadic tribes and within a short time controlled lands from the Pacific Ocean to Europe.
Though such details may be great for a future Jeopardy contestant or of interest to history geeks, facts about the size of the Mongol Empire were shared by former Mongolian President Tsakhia Elbegdorj earlier this week in response to comments made by Russia President Vladimir Putin during his interview with Tucker Carlson.
What Putin Said About Ukraine
In a more than two-hour-long sit down that was shared on Tucker Carlson’s website and posted to X, the social media platform formerly known as Twitter, Putin criticized the United States for its support of Ukraine while justifying Russia’s invasion nearly two years ago.
“We have every reason to affirm that Ukraine is an artificial state that was shaped at Stalin’s will,” Putin told Carlson, and spent much of the interview offering a rambling lesson on Russian history.
In a short introduction before the interview, Carlson even told his viewers the Russian president “seemed to us sincere whether you agree with it or not,” and added, “Vladimir Putin believes that Russia has a historic claim to parts of western Ukraine.”
The basis for Putin’s claim is that at one time Ukraine was part of the Russian Empire and therefore should be again. Such nationalist beliefs, of course, are also the reason why Europe had been mired in nearly endless conflict for centuries. Wars were fought with the justification of historic borders, a fact certainly not lost on Putin.
Yet, it overlooks the fact that many nations could lay claim to their neighbor’s land.
Empires Came And Went
Much of Western Europe, the Balkans, North Africa and swaths of the Middle East were once ruled from Rome, while the Ottoman Empire controlled much of the same lands in the Balkans and North Africa centuries later.
Yet, no one would take any claim to those lands by modern day Italy or Turkey seriously.
Elbegdorj was able to make that point very clear this week in his post on X, where he shared several maps of the once vast Mongol Empire. These not only highlighted the vastness of the empire, and compared it to the size of the Roman Empire, but noted that when the Mongols were at their zenith, Russia was a small landlocked state smaller than present day Ukraine.
“After Putin’s talk. I found a Mongolian historic map. Don’t worry. We are a peaceful and free nation,” the former Mongolian leader also noted.
Social media users from around the world were also quick to highlight maps of the lands their respective nations once controlled—including territory within Russia’s current borders.
Past Comments About Putin
Elbegdorj had previously made his opinions clear about Putin, calling the Russian leader a “narcissist” in past interviews.
“I know Putin does not tolerate freedom,” the Mongolian politician said last year, according to the UK-based Metro news outlet. “I have sat with him on many occasions. He despises difference, and competition. He fears a free Ukraine. As a narcissist, he could not allow a more successful and prosperous neighbor. A free, democratic Ukraine could represent a grave danger for his regime.”
Putin probably did not need the history lesson.
