"The war in Ukraine could put an end to Putin's Napoleon plans," said Gary Kasparov, a former world chess champion and prominent opposition to the Russian president's regime.
Ukraine was not ready enough for war, Kasparov admits.
He said that if advanced weapons systems had been provided to it ahead of time, the Russian army's strategic advantage in firepower would have been erased.
However, he believes that the Russian invasion and Putin's boldness have shaken Western countries from their slumber, and what was - will no longer be, mainly due to the stubborn resistance of the Ukrainians to the invasion.
Russian President Putin, Photo: AP
"If Putin does not succeed in the coming days in achieving his military goals - a scorching loss awaits him, and a significant geopolitical loss is always a necessary element in the scenario of the fall of tyrants," Kasparov is convinced.
"Once the regime seems weak to its subjects, its end appears on the horizon. The USSR's withdrawal from Afghanistan has been a point of no return of this kind.
If the Ukrainians last a few more days, and in addition the sanctions ring will tighten, and if the West does not shy away - this could be the beginning of the end of the Putin regime.
"On the other hand, in order to avoid a loss, Putin may now throw all his strength into the battle against the Ukrainians, without restraint."
"Nuclear Deal - Surrender"
Along with the expected concern in Ukraine, Kasparov does not hide his opinion about the powers 'attempt to appease the ayatollahs' regime while a nuclear deal.
Nuclear talks in Vienna, archive, Photo: Reuters
"I have always been negative about the nuclear deal with Iran, and I see it as one of the many serious mistakes of the Obama administration, which is responsible for the fact that both the Putin regime and all the terrorist and totalitarian regimes in the world have gained strength and self-confidence," Kasparov said in an interview.
"If you look for the roots of the deterioration, you can also reach previous presidents, such as Bush Jr. and certainly Bill Clinton - in his time, the outline of global security could be optimally stabilized, and he missed it. The nuclear deal was a surrender.
"And now the Biden administration is also doing the wrong thing, and there is real reason to believe that even its laxity towards Russia stemmed from the fact that it inherited from the Obama administration this harmful deal and is trying to get it back at all costs. To reach an agreement with the Iranians Able to deal with them harshly. "
"The West remains weak"
How did we get to the point where the free world is once again abandoning a sovereign state to the aggression of a tyrant?
"The many years of abandonment shown by the free world, and its unwillingness so far to identify and deal with the threat, should be separated from the actions taken in recent days. Putin made no secret of his preparations for the 2007 security conference in Munich. And to control areas that he sees as ‘areas of influence.’ Since then he has implemented his strategic plan step by step - and the free world has contained.
US President Biden, Photo: Reuters
"Because of his aggression and the inaction of the West we have reached a low point. In recent months, preparations for an invasion by Russia have been overt, and the West still remains sluggish. Incidentally, America nevertheless returns to some extent to the forefront of the world stage: it shifts forces to the eastern wing of NATO and supplies arms to Ukraine.
It's still a partial comeback, less than I wanted, but more than what Putin expected.
"The combination of economic, military and political sanctions imposed on Russia could create difficulties for Putin that cannot be overcome."
What are the most effective sanctions that have not yet been imposed?
"The most crippling sanctions belong to the financial sphere. There have been reports of the EU intending to freeze Russia's central bank assets - such a move could lead to the Putin regime's bankruptcy and inability to pursue a policy of aggression. If Putin's Russia is isolated from the financial markets, The effect will be felt very quickly - there will be no money for the military machine, for the payment of salaries of those who maintain the regime and for the propaganda apparatus.
"Another painful blow has to do with seizing the assets of oligarchs close to Putin. Hundreds of billions of their dollars are scattered around the world, and rest assured - they do not own them in China but in developed countries. It is impossible to pursue them all, - can bring about the desired effect. "
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