Russia's Understanding of the EU

“The EU has become a multi-headed monster that many in Russia don’t comprehend -- and the number of heads keeps increasing,” Chizhov complained in another interview. “The EU’s acquisition of the newcomers from the East made things more difficult, because it brought in countries with grievances of the past Soviet era -- a hangover from the Cold War and one that extends as far back as the 19th century,” he said. “We supported the accession of these countries to the European Union and we hoped the ‘big brothers’ inside the EU would provide them with a certain calming -- even educational -- influence,” Chizhov said. “So far this has not produced the changes we were hoping for.”