Western response to Russian invasion of Ukraine not enough, says former Kremlin political prisoner Mikhail Khodorkovsky. In his opinion column for The Economist, he also commented on Vladimir Putin's threats about the use of nuclear weapons and explained why the Russian president is constantly at war with his neighbors..
" ) you need to understand that Putin believes that he has long been at war with America, and not with Ukraine. And now America and NATO act like they're retreating. And he is not the only thug (in the world - ed.. ) who sees the situation this way, the other thugs are watching and waiting for the right moment, until the humiliation of America becomes obvious to the whole world.
If Putin is not stopped in the skies over Ukraine, NATO will have to fight him on the ground.
As for nuclear weapons, the Russian president has delusions of grandeur. He is haunted by dreams of becoming a historical figure on the level of Stalin. But he is not a suicide, otherwise he would not be sitting at the opposite end of the six-meter table from his henchmen.. He will decide to use nuclear weapons only if he is sure that no one will use them in response to him.. But every day, when NATO refuses to introduce a "
I would not want my country to enter into a world conflict with NATO, but trying to talk to a thug without using force against him will lead precisely to a world war..
Khodorkovsky explains that every time the West tries to reduce the level of escalation, Putin sees it as a sign of weakness and indecision. His past, namely the service in the KGB and connections with the criminals of St. Petersburg, instilled in him the mentality of a killer and a bandit..
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In the circle of Russian bandits, Khodorkovsky continues, the non-use of force is a sign of weakness and humiliation.. Accordingly, the efforts of the West for Putin look weak..
" So Putin started a war in Georgia in 2008, annexed Crimea in 2014, and started a war in Donbas, says Khodorkovsky.
He is confident that when the war in Ukraine ends - Russia will weaken: the economy will suffer a crushing blow - reduction and losses due to sanctions, the socio-political situation will be unstable after the return home of the military who fought in Ukraine - many will return in coffins.
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He also recalls that new presidential elections should be held in 2024 - Putin is ready to unleash a new war.
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Recall, British Prime Minister Boris Johnson noted that he does not support the likely normalization of relations with Vladimir Putin after the end of the war in Ukraine..
He previously claimed that when the Russian president first invaded Ukraine in 2014, the West made a terrible mistake.. Putin "