Former Duma member fears "dissolution" of Russia on Putin's state TV and even criticizes the Kremlin

Created: 2022-12-09 05:13

By: Bedrettin Bölükbasi

Former Duma member Boris Nadezhdin spoke on state television about the "dissolution" of Russia.

© Screenshot/Twitter/@Gerashchenko_en

In Russia, not all politicians are optimistic about the Ukraine war.

A former Duma member fears the country's "dissolution" - and even criticizes the Kremlin.

Munich – The difficult situation of the Russian military in Ukraine, which was unexpected for Moscow, the high losses, defeats such as in Cherson and the increasing international isolation: These and other factors are causing more and more people in Russia to question the Ukraine war.

Among those who have voiced criticism of the Kremlin's "special military operation" are well-known figures in the political arena, such as former Duma deputy Boris Nadezhdin.

On the Kremlin-affiliated NTV television channel, he spoke of the "risk of the dissolution of the Russian Federation" - because of the war of aggression against Ukraine.

Ukraine war: Ex-Duma deputy sees "risk of dissolution" for Russia

"Unfortunately, with the start of this special operation, the risk of the dissolution of the Russian Federation has increased rapidly," Nadezhdin warned in a program in which he was a guest.

The relevant excerpt was published on Twitter by the adviser to the Ukrainian Ministry of the Interior, Anton Gerashenko.

The ex-MP saw two main reasons for this risk.

The first is the "ideological justification" of the war against Ukraine, that Russians live in Ukraine and therefore the state must also be Russian.

"This justification undermines the very foundation of the statehood of the Russian Federation," the politician stressed on the show.

After all, other nations such as Tatars and Chechens would also live in Russia.

Other guests then accused Nadezhdin of being a "provocateur" and of taking an "anti-state position".

Ukraine war: is a former MP accusing Putin of an "unnecessary war"?

However, the ex-MP was not influenced by this.

Instead he continued his arguments and spoke about the second cause.

"States don't fall because groups get together and say something," said Nadeschdin.

Then it became surprisingly clear.

His words may actually have meant criticism of the Kremlin: "States collapse because of catastrophic mistakes by their own leadership," he explained.

This is the "real reason" for the collapse.

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Nadezhdin also drew a comparison to the First World War and stated that "the Russian government, the Russian empire" had entered an "unnecessary war" with "disastrous mistakes".

At the same time, he assured: "I'm not implying anything." Nevertheless, the parallels to the Ukraine war in the statements of the ex-MP were obvious.

No doubt Nadezhdin was referring to Vladimir Putin's war against Ukraine and expressed skepticism.

It remains to be seen whether this will have consequences for him.