Ukraine war as a "nail in the coffin" for Putin's empire - economist counts on the end for the "empire"

Created: 12/29/2022, 2:31 p.m

By: Caspar Felix Hoffman

An American economist with Russian roots sees the Ukraine war as a possible nail in the coffin for Putin's "Reich": "Maybe it will finally become a normal country."

Kyiv/Frankfurt – The war in Ukraine could be the “nail in the coffin” for the “empire” of Russian President Vladimir Putin.

So said a Moscow-born economist and Indiana University professor in a recent interview.

In a video call with the

's Jason Jay Smart, Michael Alexeev called the Ukraine war "monstrous" and "a mistake for everyone involved."

The war could have long-term positive effects for Ukraine, but cost Russia a large part of its global power.

"The only positive thing I can think of about this war is that it might finally put a nail in the coffin of the idea of ​​Russian empire," Alexeyev said.

"Maybe it will finally become a normal country."

Russian President Vladimir Putin on Wednesday (December 28) in St. Petersburg.

© Kremlin Pool/Imago

News about the Ukraine war: Peace seems unlikely at the moment

Peace seems unlikely at the moment.

A Kremlin spokesman said on Wednesday (December 28) that negotiations to end the war could only continue if Ukraine agreed to Russia's annexation of four Ukrainian territories.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy firmly rejects this.

When asked whether there was any hope for post-war reconstruction in Ukraine, Alexeyev answered "yes".

"Sure, I even think it could be a good thing for Ukraine in the long run because this war has strengthened Ukraine's national identity," he said.

"There were people who had some sympathy for Russia, for Putin and all that - not anymore, as far as I know."

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Alexeev said he grew up in Moscow and studied there before moving to the United States to continue his education at Duke University.

Although his expertise mainly concerns the economy of Russia and the former Soviet Union, Alexeev stressed that he had no sympathy for the Soviet Union.

His parents were born in Ukraine, and his mother, Lyudmila Alexeyeva, was a prominent Soviet dissident who co-founded the Moscow Helsinki Group, a human rights organization.

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