Thread by @ChrisO_wiki

1/ Former Russian foreign ministry spokesman Mikhail Demurin is very gloomy about Russia's prospects after four years of full-scale war in Ukraine. He criticises the country's "feudal-capitalist regime of revenge" and asks whether Vladimir Putin will "lead it to its decline". ⬇️

2/ Writing on his Telegram channel, Demurin – whose views reflect an ultra-nationalist constituency that has been disappointed by Putin's perceived lacklustre approach to the war – is explicitly critical of Putin's leadership:

3/ "On the fourth anniversary of the launch of the Special Military Operation, I have nothing inspiring to say. The reshaping of Ukraine along Nazi and anti-Russian lines, its militarisation, and the NATO takeover of its territory and political space required a rebuff—that's…

4/ …understandable. It's also clear that the strong positions—military, domestic, and international—from which to begin were absent in 2022. Besides, it was already too late to create them. This should have been addressed at least ten years earlier.

5/ "And the task of preventing a pro-NATO reshaping of Ukraine, and thus preventing war, should have been addressed twenty years earlier.

6/ "Many, including myself, nevertheless hoped back then that, due to its positive cultural, historical, and anti-fascist implications, the SMO would stimulate positive change not only in our country's international standing but also within Russia itself.

7/ "It was an ill-founded hope, but it existed. The feudal-capitalist regime of revenge, however, has, over the past four years, only confirmed its inherent futility and inability to lead our country forward.

8/ "We will see in the near future to what extent it will pay for its worthless policies with our state sovereignty and national natural and economic wealth.

9/ "This regime itself understands what kind of reaction it already is and what the public will react to what is happening, and therefore it tightens the political and informational screws. It does this thoughtlessly, worsening our overall situation.

10/ "I have been particularly sceptical of it since the spring of 2005, when the Baltics were finally surrendered to NATO. "But then came the Munich speech!" someone will say.

11/ "It was all talk, words, but in reality, in the following years, Russia has largely retreated on the international stage and in its internal development. Had it not retreated, our situation today would be different.

12/ "Having said all that, I still believe that Vladimir Putin doesn't want to go down in Russian history as a leader who had the opportunity to lift the country but instead led it to its decline. But does he still have the capacity?"

Source:
t.me/rubezhizarubez…