Mikhail Khodorkovsky has spoken to a UK parliamentary group, sharing his perspective on the current situation in the Kremlin.
The Guardian and Gazeta Prawna have both reported Khodorkovsky as saying that western leaders need to revise their assumptions that the only or even the main figures representing Putin's war against Ukraine are Russia's foreign minister and defence minister.
Instead, the dissident and former political prisoner suggested that the mercenary and "terrorist" Wagner group has been growing in influence and Ukraine's allies have been negligent not to have taken note of its growing role in Russian activities in Africa - even before Russia's 2022 attack on Ukraine.
In an article he himself wrote for the Guardian on 30th October, Khodorkovsky also suggested that the UK (and, by implication, other countries like Poland) needs to reconsider its immigration policy towards Russia. He says that a "smart visa policy", one admitting skilled Russian employees, could aggravate Russia's "brain drain" and hurt Russia "more than sanctions".
CNN has likened the current Kremlin situation to the American political series "House of Cards". With official and semi-official leaders vying for position, Putin is surrounded by scheming and back-stabbing.
Sources: The Guardian, Gazeta Prawna, CNN
pt
