Exiled Russian Oligarch Predicts Putin’s Defeat as West Supports Ukraine’s Cause
Exiled Russian Oligarch's Bold Prediction: Putin's Defeat Imminent Amid Growing Western Support for Ukraine
Exiled Russian Oligarch Mikhail Khodorkovsky, recommends that Western countries maintain their support for Ukraine as the conflict escalates. He believes that steadfast backing is the essential factor that can ultimately bring an end to Russia’s invasion.
“Right now, [Russian President Vladimir] Putin is clearly suffering a defeat, but he can, of course, still kill very many people,” Khodorkovsky told CNN’s Alex Marquardt on Friday. “If the West continues to support Ukraine, his own defeat is inevitable.
“Putin will always be the enemy of America, but since the start of the war, his stay, his term in power has been reduced significantly,” the former CEO of Russia’s largest private oil company Yukos, said.
Exiled Russian Oligarch Mikhail Khodorkovsky’s remarks coincide with President Joe Biden’s announcement that the United States will, in conjunction with the G7 and the European Union, rescind Russia’s “most favored nation” status on Friday. This decision permits nations to levy tariffs on Russian goods and intensify the isolation of Russia’s economy from the global community.
This recent measure represents the most recent punitive action imposed by President Biden in response to Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. Just a few days ago, the president also took steps to prohibit all imports of Russian energy, such as oil and gas products, causing a sharp increase in fuel prices worldwide.
Exiled Russian Oligarch Mikhail Khodorkovsky, who held the title of the world’s wealthiest individual in Russia in 2003, expressed that the damage inflicted on Russia’s financial system has been substantial. However, he believes that this damage hasn’t entirely severed the nation’s economic activity, which, according to the exiled oligarch, is an essential factor for the war to come to a conclusion.
“At the moment only 70 percent of the cash flows have been blocked. We need to block the remaining 30. If we want to stop Putin, there must be no exceptions,” he said.
“If we want to stop the war, then all the bank accounts of Russia must be frozen. All of Putin’s bankers must be blocked,” he added. “I’ve never advocated sanctions against Russia as a whole, but the financial flows need to stop. Yes, people will have problems, and we will have problems. But these problems are incomparable to the problems of the people who are being killed and wounded.”
In 2005, exiled Russian oligarch Mikhail Khodorkovsky received a nine-year prison sentence on charges of fraud and tax evasion. Despite being granted an early release in 2013 through a pardon by Putin, Khodorkovsky maintains that his imprisonment was driven by political motives due to his financial support for the opposition party. Presently residing in London, he stands out as one of Putin’s most outspoken adversaries.
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