Senior Vice President of the Center for European Policy Analysis Edward Lucas believes that Russian President Vladimir Putin, like the President of the USSR Mikhail Gorbachev, does not understand the nationality.
This Lucas said in an interview with "Apostrophe".
According to him, Russia is "captivated against their will" by such subjects of the federation as Tatarstan, Bashkiria and Chechnya.
"There is a potential for centrifugal forces that will tear Russia apart, just as it did with the Soviet Union," Lucas said..
He said that Putin does not understand that the Russian Federation is still an empire, and also does not understand the anti-imperialist sentiment within Russia.