Putin unexpectedly mentions the risk of Russia’s collapse
Vladimir Putin (Photo:Sputnik/Pavel Bednyakov/Kremlin via REUTERS)
Russian President Vladimir Putin has acknowledged the possibility of Russia facing a breakup in the future, with its population to be divided into separate nations, the country's news agency TASS reported on Feb. 26.
Putin's interview with Rossiya 1 TV channel marks the first time that the Russian dictator has publicly commented on the potential disintegration of Russia.
According to him, "if the West manages to make the Russian Federation collapse and to assume control of its fragments," the Russian people may not survive as a nation.
"If we go down this path (of Russia's collapse — ed.), I think that the fate of many peoples of Russia, and first of all, of course, the Russian people, may change drastically," Putin said.
"I even doubt that such an ethnic group as the Russian people will survive as it is today, with some Muscovites, Uralian and others remaining instead."
In addition, the Russian president claimed that "these plans are set out on paper."
"But it's all there, it's all written, it's all on a piece of paper," Putin said.
"Well, now that their attempts to reshape the world exclusively for themselves after the collapse of the USSR have led to this situation, well, of course, we'll have to respond to this."
He emphasized that the West's sole goal is to allegedly "liquidate Russia in its current form."
"They have one goal of liquidating the former Soviet Union and its main part, the Russian Federation. And later, [after liquidating Russia] they will probably admit us to the so-called family of civilized peoples, but only by parts, each part separately," he said.
Ukraine's National Security and Defense Council Secretary Oleksiy Danilov earlier said that the West has not yet made a final decision on what to do with Russia and does not understand how the full-scale war unleashed by Russia against Ukraine should end. However, the world should prepare for the collapse of Russia.
Previously, Ukrainian Defense Minister Oleksii Reznikov said that after the war is over, Russia will disintegrate into separate statelets, while Ukraine will retain its sovereignty and independence.
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