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Navalny's confidant is already talking about "deputinization" - and draws a comparison with Germany

2022-08-11T03:08:30.987Z


Navalny's confidant is already talking about "deputinization" - and draws a comparison with Germany Created: 08/11/2022, 05:00 By: Marcus Giebel How do the Russian people really feel about the Ukraine war? Leonid Volkov sees little support for Vladimir Putin in the country and uses examples to illustrate this. He predicts the end of the Kremlin boss. Munich - With every day, every hour that th


Navalny's confidant is already talking about "deputinization" - and draws a comparison with Germany

Created: 08/11/2022, 05:00

By: Marcus Giebel

How do the Russian people really feel about the Ukraine war?

Leonid Volkov sees little support for Vladimir Putin in the country and uses examples to illustrate this.

He predicts the end of the Kremlin boss.

Munich - With every day, every hour that the Ukraine war continues, it becomes more difficult to keep alive the hope that the fighting will have an even somewhat tolerable outcome.

For too long only weapons have spoken, too much suffering, destruction and death have been caused with them.

And yet one politician in particular seems to see room for optimism, who is likely to long for a defeat by Russia's ruler Vladimir Putin like hardly any other public figure.

Because the Russian opposition politician Leonid Volkov is not only concerned with protecting Ukraine from worse, but also with seeing his home country liberated from the current Kremlin boss.

Russian opposition leader Alexei Navalny (right) and his close confidante Leonid Volkov.

(Archive image) © Yegor Aleyev/TASS/Imago

Navalny confidante on Ukraine war: Russians not for additional military spending

Volkov is one of the founders of Alexei Navalny's Progressive Party and is considered a close confidante of Putin's best-known opponent.

In an interview with the

FAZ

, Volkov emphasized several times that Putin's following among the Russian population is not nearly as large as recent polls have suggested.

He does this at various points.

For example, when asked about the most urgent government spending, citizens would name "health, education, pensions, roads" before additional investments in the military.

And that despite the fact that they are constantly being told: "There is a Third World War, Russia is fighting NATO."

Putin opponents on Ukraine war: mobilization would be "extremely unpopular" in Russia

On top of that, according to Volkov, this image of the powerful enemy that the country absolutely has to fight is getting less and less: "And even if you think the questions from survey institutes about the war are systematically wrong, you can tell one thing from them: support for the war is going back every month.

And there are no queues at the military offices.” Possibly a sign of war fatigue, which is also clearly spreading in the West just under half a year after the invasion.

also read

Putin adviser fears "dramatic" situation for Russia as a result of further aid from the West

Putin's losses in the Ukraine war: Pentagon provides new figures - "quite remarkable"

Regarding the Russian war symbol Z painted on tanks and other military vehicles, Volkov states: “You can walk for hours in Moscow and you won't see it anywhere except on public buildings.

Putin has no support.” That is also the reason why he is not calling out the feared mobilization, because the Kremlin knows that this would be “extremely unpopular”.

Putin and the Ukraine war: Even professional soldiers should sue against their deployment

“Today thousands of soldiers are refusing to go to Ukraine.

They go to court, they go public.

Putin did not dare to mobilize.

That's why he only uses professional soldiers,” Volkov is convinced that hardly any volunteers want to fight on the side of the invaders.

And even among the professional soldiers, not everyone would allow themselves to be sent to Ukraine without resistance: “Their contracts don't cover this 'special operation'.

So they refuse, they get fired, and they sue.

There are hundreds of such cases.”

Therefore it is clear to him: “This is not Russia's war.

This is Putin's war.” In addition to the willing professional and contract soldiers, “there are the notorious Wagner mercenaries and the fighters of Ramzan Kadyrov from Chechnya.

I don't feel sorry for people like the Wagner Group and Kadyrov's pseudo-army.”

Volkov on Putin's situation: "I'd bet he'll be put aside"

There is no doubt in Volkov's words that Putin will bitterly regret this attack.

In his opinion, three years ago the Russian president had “enough power to stay forever.

Like Franco in Spain.

Extremely unpopular, but strong enough.

That was a very sad perspective.

Twenty years of stagnation.”

However, that changed fundamentally with the Ukraine war: “Today I would rather bet that it will be put aside.

Nobody is happy with him.

His oligarchs have lost everything.” They would be upset “because they can no longer fly to Courchevel with their families and mistresses”.

Then there's Putin's squad, which is experiencing one disappointment after another.

Navalny's confidante Volkov commented on the situation of the Russian army: "The military is also dissatisfied.

They expected a big win and now they're getting nothing.

Putin has destroyed the balance of power he has painstakingly built over the past 20 years.”

Putin before the replacement?

"Apparently no longer recognized as an arbitrator"

Volkov also sees a sign of the 69-year-old's lost influence in the quarrels within the power apparatus, which are becoming public.

For example between Kadyrov and Putin's negotiator Vladimir Medinsky or Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov: "It would never have happened before.

Conflicts would have been resolved by Putin.

Now he is apparently no longer recognized as a referee.”

Meanwhile, former President Dmitry Medvedev, who caused people to sit up and take notice with particularly radical statements during wartime, was "unusually active".

For the Navalny confidante, these are all signs that there is rumblings around Putin.

Navalny versus Putin: "200,000 to 300,000 people" are said to have worked for opponents of the Kremlin within five years

In addition, there is dissatisfaction among the population, according to Volkov.

Although he is aware: "Public dissent is not feasible today.

The risk is too great.” In addition, Putin “forced the political classes born in 2020/2021 out of the country”.

But the next generation remained in Russia, although they could not openly seek contact with Navalny and his team.

"But we know you're here.

I estimate that two to three thousand activists have left the country.

But just the number of people who have worked for Navalny in the last five years is between 200,000 and 300,000,” Volkov points out some figures.

Does he have to say goodbye to his power soon?

Vladimir Putin may have dug his political grave with the Ukraine war.

© IMAGO / ITAR-TASS

Putin before the end?

A confidante of Navalny complains about the behavior of the West in the past 22 years

They would be important for Russia's future: "That's why I'm sure: If circumstances allow, we'll be able to rebuild our structures quickly." It all sounds as if Navalny, Volkov and Co. would first have to wait for Putin is really on the ground.

However, the 41-year-old does not want the accusation that he underestimated the Kremlin boss to be dumped solely on himself and his compatriots.

“Some in the West are now telling us: you had 22 years to get rid of Putin.

I answer: And you sent Putin billions upon billions in these 22 years.

You shook his hand and treated him like a great statesman,” Volkov explains, emphasizing that all sides were guilty of the strong man in Moscow.

Because they looked the other way, or at least didn't want to look closely.

Will Russia break away from Putin?

Navalny confidant recalls "denazification in Germany"

"Russia will have to go through a phase of deputinization," Volkov is certain, and then recalls the structure of the Federal Republic after the Second World War: "It will be something like denazification in Germany.

A very painful process of national reflection on what happened and what we allowed to happen.”

For him, this inevitably includes: "One day, when Putin is defeated militarily - and that is a necessary condition - the Russian nation will have to consider whether the applause for the annexation of Crimea was not a serious mistake." Repeats history in a way?

In this case, looking back can really be a glimmer of hope.

(mg)

Source: merkur

All news articles on 2022-08-11

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