‘State of panic’ as Putin realises he cannot win in Ukraine | Yuri Felshtinsky

‘State of panic’ as Putin realises he cannot win in Ukraine | Yuri Felshtinsky

if you see what’s happening now in Russia it’s they in a stage of panic I mean because now they know that they’re going to lose this war they were holding they were winning this war slowly but they were winning this war for two and a half years well slightly less but now they they know that they are going to lose that’s why they started you know to threaten the world with nuclear strikes and and it’s happening you know from all levels of the Russian governments you have dozens dozens of publications of the Russian officials claiming that well well now we will have to use nuclear weapons now we will destroy you because you cross the red line yes we cross the red line because For the first time in two whatever two two and a half almost years of war right uh we we changed a strategy and now it’s a strategy to win the war hello and welcome to Frontline for times radio I’m James Hansen and today we’re talking about the latest on the war in Ukraine and I’m delighted to be joined by the historian Dr Yuri faltinsky the author of blowing up Ukraine the return of Russian Terror and from Red Terror to terrorist State Russia Security Services in the fight for world domination Dr Yuri faltinsky really appreciate your time welcome to front line thank you to begin with I wanted to get your take on on the big story from the past week which is is the Americans agreeing that Ukraine can use us supplied weapons to strike targets inside Russian territory orbe it with some restrictions but it’s interesting in the past day or we’ve heard that Ukraine has used haar’s Rockets to strike a a Russian air defense battery inside belgrod oblast how significant do you think this change in position from the White House is very significant let’s add also that not only the United States gave Ukraine permission to strike against Russian territory but also France Germany and basically all other countries here’s the pro problem this War uh was started in February of 22 and from February of 22 everybody had an understanding that uh ukrainians are not uh allowed to use Western weapons against the strikes uh for strikes against the Russian territory they were allowed to use it against the occupied territories of Ukraine including Crimea for example which was annexed in 2014 but they were not allowed to strike against the Russian Federation what put Ukraine in a terrible position because you are you cannot win a war you’re not able to win a war if you are not allowed to strike against the territory of your enemy while Russia of course uh was uh actually striking Ukraine from inside the Russian Federation uh we have to understand that for example the the city of harkov which is the second largest city in Ukraine after KF uh is so close to the Russian border that Russians are bombardon it from the Russian air space so so the Russian planes they even do not cross the Ukrainian Border in order to strike against the city so that’s that’s why at the end uh the West realize that they need to change tactics because the the idea that Russia would be tired of War we’ll be afraid that they would lose more people than they saw they would lose um didn’t lead anywhere uh and the conception that Ukraine is not allowed to win this war because Russia could not lose this war does not lead to the end of the war and we have to understand that everybody has this idea to end this war War right I mean no one wants this war to continue Ukraine doesn’t want it the West doesn’t want it Europe and the United States but by by now it’s clear unfortunately that Putin is not planning to stop and the only way to stop this war is to win this war that’s why the strategy had to be changed why is it taken so long though because it’s taken more than two years for the Us and other Western allies of Ukraine to agree to let Ukraine use weapons supplied by them inside Russia some would say the ukrainians have been fighting with one hand tied behind their back in that time because of that restriction why is it taken so long well it took the United States more than two years to enter the second world war and England was fighting alone against any actually both uh the Nazi Germany and the Soviet Union which was helping uh Germany until June of 41 when Germans invaded Russia so unfortunately Americans are slow we have to add that Europeans were not in a hurry to allow to use their weapons as well again everybody was hoping that Putin at one stop at one point will’ll stop uh and would agree to negotiate the problems etc etc unfortunately this is not happening we see that Russia now is in a stage of uh permanent War meaning that they are able and ready psychologically and financially and militarily and economically to uh continue this war as long as it’s needed uh meaning that they taking Ukraine you know meter by meter with this with a slow speed but nevertheless they taking territories and we also have to understand that they not actually taking territories they uh ruin territories first what they getting at the end every village they take every small City they take they ruin it completely at the moment when Russian troops are entering the territory there is not a single building holding and there is not a single person staying in the beginning of the war some ukrainians actually were not in a hurry to leave their houses because everybody was hoping that you know this war will and oh this is so irrational this is so ridiculous that this war will end somehow very soon you shouldn’t leave your house uh but now it’s clear that this is a war which leads no nowhere unless again unless Russia is defeated the only way to defeat Russia is to strike against the Russian territory because when you talk to Russians especially those who live in cities like Moscow they do not feel this way at all they even do not know that this war exists the Russian government and this is an irony and people were smiling the beginning prohibits this events to call a war and when you talk to mosites you know they go to theaters they go to Cinemas they go to cafes uh life is uh normal uh there is no shortage of anything in Moscow and actually for them there is no way at all there some development some military activity which goes somewhere far far away you know in this in this strange country Ukraine which decided to fight for its independence but Russia doesn’t feel the war and until Russia FS this war they would not be ready to stop it well that begs the question whether the West needs to move even further on this issue whether they are going far enough because even though America has now said Ukraine can use us supplied weapons inside Russia that’s only in a very limited area against very specific targets should it be broader well my opinion is unfortunately I have to add that uh we we are going to have Third World War uh we the You could argue that it’s already started we could argue that it started on 24th of February 22 uh there are some some people who think that we are still you know in in in a 19 37 period the war is not started yet but unfortunately Russia is preparing for it and the last changes uh within the government also indicate that Russia is uh uh you know considering the possibility that this war will become you know real and that that it would escalate and uh the the set of military activity will be widen and it would go outside the Ukrainian territory they just conducted um some tactical nuclear weapons exercises with uh Belarus they moved some time ago they moved nuclear weapons to belus what what I think is a great danger uh on a rhetorical question uh you you couldn’t actually imagine how how crazy Russians are they threatening the world with preventive nuclear strikes against Eastern Europe against Central Europe uh right couple days ago the the deputy of foreign minister actually says that Americans will pay for the decision to allow ukrainians to use their weapons I mean they are ready to fight against these in the whole world and um Unfortunately they are supported by China we have to add this this is important help uh which came to Russia and uh you know they dumping dollars now together with China and India they buying gold uh the indication is that they’re preparing for the fullscale war and I think that’s I I hope this would never happens but in order to prevent this in order to prevent this and this is the only option we we have to help Ukraine to win this war while this war is only a Russian Ukrainian War because from the point of view of the West this is still a Russian Ukrainian war from the point of view of Russia they are fighting against nato in Ukraine so the only uh way to avoid the full scale third world war is to defeat Russia in Ukraine but for this we we need to have uh to you know to to uh abolish all limitations which we had for this like two two more years uh specifically uh giving uh Ukraine uh the long range Weaponry which is uh able to reach Moscow because again Russia is a city of one more one Russia is a country or one city it’s difficult difficult to imagine for Europeans uh where where you usually have many many cities in each country but this is not so for Russia whatever happens in Moscow is important uh we remember what happened in Moscow when pran stated in June of last year that he’s going to take Moscow uh there was a huge p and Moscow kind of you know capitulated even before prion reach it but mosc is important so we have to give ukrainians permission to strike against Moscow we have to give ukrainians weapons to strike against Moscow and once again this is the only chance to stop the war otherwise uh this will uh this would escalate how credibly should we take the threat of Putin for example using Tactical nuclear weapons in Ukraine or in other parts of Eastern Europe that has been one of the reasons the Americans and others have been reluctant until now to provide certain weapons to Ukraine should we take those warnings from the Kremlin at face value or is it a bluff well partially this is a bluff uh but the bluff is uh that Russia would use nuclear weapons uh Russia will not use nuclear weap weapons but here’s a trick uh Russia moved nuclear weapons to Belarus so I think what Putin uh would do uh and that’s how he usually behaved himself uh he was strike from Belarus not from uh Russia so the retaliation will be against Belarus and not against the Russian Federation and I think this is the plan I I do not think this is necessarily going to happen this way probably not I do not think for example that they will strike against Ukraine I do not think so because they sincerely believe that they will take Ukraine without uh nuclear weapons or without nuclear options if they would stop uh foreign help to Ukraine that’s why it’s very important for them to stop this help because they sincerely believe that they are losing the war not because ukrainians are fighting but go the West is helping so that’s that’s this is the idea and the idea of to use nuclear weapons uh is also connected to the idea to stop the assistance to Ukraine so like let’s strike against Poland or Lithuania so the West would see that we are you know ready to use nuclear weapons and this will this would frighten them and they would stop the war help to Ukraine this this is the idea but I think uh it’s it’s not going to be uh done by by Russia formally I think they would do it from Belarus and that’s why I think it’s very important very important not only to think about uh you know defending uh Ukraine but uh also about thinking about you know changing regim in because lashen is extremely unpopular there we know this he lost elections the uh Bel Russians are against him and the change of regime in Belarus is also in necessity because Russia is using this territory for you know for Advance against Europe that’s how the war against Ukraine started in February of 22 they were trying to reach K uh advancing from Belarus and they also would use belus of course if they plan any uh ground uh operation against uh Eastern Europe first of all Poland and the Baltic states so Belarus is very important strategic territory and I think at one point uh I do not know when but at one point the West would have to to deal with this problem as well do you think Vladimir Putin actively wants to provoke a fullscale war with NATO and whether you then want to call that World War III whether other countries get drawn in do you think Putin wants to provoke that because a lot of people would say if he if he did engage in a fullscale war with NATO he would inevitably lose uh he will lose but that’s not how he look at it he again he thinks that if the West is not surrendering is it’s because they do not believe that we are ready to destroy it that’s that’s this is the problem of Putin and uh of course he would like to get everything without a war uh when he started this war in February of 22 the idea was and this was General understanding by the way everywhere in Europe and in the United States that Ukraine would be taken in a week or in a month no one was expecting Ukraine to fight and it’s only because ukrainians are started to fight for the Freedom the West started to help them because uh you know the the historical lessons of the second world war are well known right and Pauls knows it very well no one help Poland in September 39 and it was taken quickly but it did not stop the war right it just provoke Hitler to advance further and further and further so uh when when Ukraine started to fight then countries like Poland and the Baltic states who were under you know the Baltic states were under Soviet Rule and Poland of course had terrible history lessons with with Russian occupation they pressed uh the NATO countries to start to assist Ukraine very quickly arguing that otherwise this war would escalate into European war and and they were right so for two and a half years we are holding this B barrier but unfortunately again this just provokes Russia to conduct more and more you know military operations and attack and they’re not planning to stop now Putin unfortunately uh he’s Lieutenant Colonel of the FSB I mean he’s not even in general right uh he’s education stopped at one point uh he’s an experienced politician leader now that’s true but all he remembers that in 1945 Americans used nuclear weapons won the war against Japan and became a a superpower all he remembers that in 1962 uh kov you know agreed to take uh nuclear weapons from Cuba back to the Soviet Union and lost the chance to win the war against the United States so I’m afraid that for him this myth or this legend about the importance of nuclear weapon uh which prevented two times uh Russia to become a dominant power uh you know is is very important I’m afraid he might believe that in order to win the war in order to establish itself as a great power you would have at one point to use nuclear weapons and yes this is the real danger this is the danger as long as Putin is in power and that’s why it’s important to take him down to change the regime but once again the way to do it the safest way to do it let’s put it this way uh is to uh allow Ukraine to win otherwise uh yes we would have uh you know use uh NATO Ground Forces as macron was suggesting and otherwise the war will will escalate what would you say Yuri is the biggest single threat to Vladimir Putin at the moment Ukraine the only one the only one there is no there is no uh domestic opposition we we have to face the reality uh there are no opponents all opponents are killed on preventive level and it’s not by chance that he killed people like Boris NV or Alex naal uh they killing leaders on preventive level and there is no uh domestic opposition we do not see it I mean we see some people some brave people who go to prison for their political views but the amount of those people is not critical for for Putin regime um everything is controlled quite well by the FSB the only people who have you know weapons in their hands in Russia is the FSB and the the Minister of Defense the Army and those people are loyal there is no way to take down uh Putin peacefully uh there are no people within the Russian government who opposing him so the only way to take him through the victory of War uh in Ukraine could his position be undermined very quickly though I mean if for instance Ukraine was allowed to strike Targets in for example Moscow deeper into Mainland Russia could you then see internal opposition to Putin rear its head I mean the nature with all these dictators is that you know if they’re going to rule by Terror they’ve got to rule by absolute Terror the moment their Authority starts to appear shaky it can go downhill very quickly I think the is yes although I do not want to say that it’s very simple and it’s not going to be very quick but again we know from history that you know the attempt to kill uh Hitler you know what the result of Germany not uh being able to conduct the war the way German Army was expecting right in 1945 1944 sorry so uh the uh there are some people who are able to deal with Putin uh meaning the FSB for example but in order to do this they have to have a good reason to do this and uh if they have if they would have a good reason to do this they they would do it in order to survive but uh we we even need to help them right because so far so far uh everything uh was normal for them again Russia didn’t feel this way at all after this recent statements and again the statements came from approximately the same time from the United States from France from Germany uh actually if you see what’s happening now in Russia it’s they in a stage of panic I mean because now they know that they’re going to lose this war they were holding they were winning this War slowly but they were winning this war for 2 and a half years well slightly less but now they they know that they are going to lose that’s why they started you know to threaten the world with nuclear strikes and and it’s happening you know from all levels of the Russian governments you have dozens dozens of publications of the Russian officials claiming that well well now we will have to use nuclear weapons now we will destroy you because you cross the red line yes we cross the red line because For the First Time in whatever two two and a half almost years of war right uh we we changed a strategy and now it’s a strategy to win the war uh except uh you know prior to this it was a strategy that Russia is not losing and Ukraine is not winning that is fascinating so just to finish off by almost going back to where we started you really do think Yuri that what we saw last week that change in position in particular from the Americans over Us weapons being used by Ukraine against Russia inside Russia you think that could be a a gamechanging moment in this war 100% 100% except that we uh we have to continue to help Ukraine because we do remember that for five months the American help for example to Ukraine was frozen and this was a a a major deal for Ukraine that’s why we have all these problems around HOV now uh and yes uh we we have to continue to help Ukraine with uh weapons with with long range weapons we have to uh take uh down all limitations including the limitation if it still exist I do not know to strike against Moscow Dr Yuri fortinsky really appreciate your time thank you so much for joining us today on front line thank you thank you for watching Frontline for times radio for more click subscribe on our YouTube channel you can listen to times radio and you can read more about the war in Ukraine and Global Security with your times digital subscription

“There are some people who are able to deal with Putin…if they would have a good reason to do this, they would do it in order to survive.”

Russian threats of a nuclear strike reflect ‘panic’ in the Kremlin as US begns to lift restrictions on donated weapons being used to strike Russia, Yuri Felshtinsky tells #timesradio

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