Political fallout from Ukraine’s counter-offensive to hit Russia hard – Feygin
Red Square, Moscow (Photo:REUTERS/Maxim Shemetov)
Ukraine’s ongoing offensive is now creating a new "moral climate" in Russia, which could hit the aggressor country even more than the dynamics of advances by Ukrainian troops, well known Russian expert Mark Feygin told NV in an interview on June 22.
Feygin, a Moscow lawyer expelled from the profession and ousted from Russia, is also a former member of Russia’s State Duma. He is now a popular video blogger.
The interview was recorded before the events of June 23 in Russia, when the FSB opened acriminal case against the chief of PMC Wagner, Yevgeny Prigozhin, accusing him of calling for "armed civil conflict."
On June 24, Prigozhin claimed his forces had seized control of several military facilities in Russia.
When asked whether the summer and autumn events at the front could "push" the war to a certain result, Feygin replied: "Yes, definitely. You see, it does not work purely arithmetically: we have captured some part of the territory or, on the contrary, we have been losing some territory, and there is still a lot left, there is time and reserve. No, it could be a political aftermath that leads to decisions that change the whole picture."
According to Feygin, despite the fact that the Russian Defense Ministry denies there are any prospects for success for the Ukrainian counteroffensive, it is indeed under way.
"It is not easy, yes, but it couldn't be any other way – the Russian army is prepared,” Fegin said.
“Now the Russians have lost, in my opinion, 200 square kilometers of territory. That's how it is, they haven't retreated themselves, but they have also been suffering losses and so on," he said.
"A different moral climate is being created. It is not yet known what will happen next by the end of June, at the beginning of July. For now, this is an open question."
Feygin also said he believes that raids by pro-Ukrainian volunteers from the Russian Volunteer Corps (RDK) in Russia's Belgorod Oblast had not so much a military but political effect.
"Thanks to them, the Russian Federation understood that war could come to the territory of Russia,” he said.
“Second, it can be conducted by Russians themselves. This is a strong change in the idea ofwhat is possible and what is not possible; what is effective and what is not."
"And the thesis that peaceful protest is effective has vanished. It became clear to everyone: the only thing that the authorities are really afraid of and that, in principle, they cannot cope with, is this very military resistance, which turns into a revolution."
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