The Kremlin's main critic Mikhail Khodorkovsky has warned Europe of the possibility of a long-term confrontation with Russia, regardless of the development of the war in Ukraine, reports "Politico", reports News.bg.
“We should expect a new kind of Cold War, lasting at least ten years“, the former oil tycoon said at a private event in Brussels. According to him, the only factor that can deter further Russian aggression is Vladimir Putin's conviction that the West poses a real military threat.
During the Cold War, the USSR and the West tried to undermine each other's forces, without allowing open conflict and the risk of nuclear war. Today senior European and NATO officials say Russia is reviving a similar strategy, using hybrid methods to destabilize and divide the West.
Khodorkovsky, who spent a decade in Siberian prisons and now lives in London, has questioned the effectiveness of Western sanctions against the Kremlin, saying they "put some pressure on the Russian economy, but nothing dramatic." He was also skeptical about the long-term impact of Ukraine's drone campaign against Russian oil refineries, noting that the damage was relatively minimal compared to the vast industrial complexes in Siberia.
According to Khodorkovsky, the only time Putin's rule could have been seriously shaken was during the first two years of the full-scale invasion of Ukraine, if Russia had suffered a decisive military defeat. That window has now closed. However, he noted with irony that Russian dictators traditionally leave power between the ages of 70 and 80 - Putin turned 73 in October.
Last month, Russian authorities opened a new criminal case against Khodorkovsky, accusing him of leading a "terrorist organization" and planning a violent coup with the help of Ukrainian paramilitary groups. The FSB has also charged 22 other people linked to Khodorkovsky's Russian Anti-War Committee, an opposition group in exile. Many have already been prosecuted or served sentences in Russia, and the charges have created difficulties even abroad, restricting banking services and travel.
Khodorkovsky has expressed confidence that he will one day return to post-Putin Russia, but warned that it will take decades to overcome the "imperialist-military narrative" that justifies invading neighboring countries. "My generation will not see the day when Russian society returns to normal," he said. he.
Asked if this is not discouraging, Khodorkovsky replied with a smile that his work is like in heavy industry - he starts processes that will outlive him. “The future is as real to me as the present, and it is what motivates me“, the oppositionist added.