The ongoing war Russia is waging on Ukraine has also resulted in internal discord that could lead to Vladimir Putin’s downfall or trigger a civil war. A former Russian diplomat warned that the war could also break Russia apart.
In a 6,500-word piece for Foreign Affairs, former diplomat Boris Bondarev criticized Putin’s war on Ukraine. Bondarev, who served as a counselor in Russia’s mission to the United Nations, resigned from his post in May as he felt the war showed how repressive and warped Russia became.
Bondarev said that Russia was infested by “yes men” that enabled Putin to make decisions in his echo chamber of propaganda.
“If Putin is kicked out of office, Russia’s future will be deeply uncertain,” wrote Bondarev.
“It’s entirely possible his successor will try to carry on the war, especially given that Putin’s main advisers hail from the security services. But no one in Russia commands his stature, so the country would likely enter a period of political turbulence. It could even descend into chaos,” wrote Bondarev.
The Kremlin is known to dismiss such critiques as deeply flawed while asserting that Putin remains popular among the Russian public. Bondarev went on to detail how diplomats who wrote fictitious Russian propaganda back to Moscow were rewarded by receiving praise from their superiors and “saw their career fortunes rise.”
“Moscow wanted to be told what it hoped to be true – not what was actually happening. Ambassadors everywhere got the message, and they competed to send the most over-the-top cables,” said Bondarev, who added that any ceasefire in Ukraine would give Putin time to rearm its forces before attacking again.
The Belarusian defense ministry said Monday that it would be conducting live fire drills and anti-aircraft guided missile launches as part of the joint grouping with Russian forces, according to Interfax. A Minsk defense official said military units would be dispatched to the eastern and central regions of Belarus.
This follows the ministry’s announcement last week that Russian troops would be deployed to the country to form a new regional grouping in the midst of claims from Minsk that Ukraine is preparing to attack Belarus. Belarus has not provided evidence to back up the accusations toward Ukraine.