Kremlin critic Mikhail Khodorkovsky paints a bleak picture of the further course of the war in Ukraine. Russian President Vladimir Putin could soon also attack NATO countries in order to break up the military alliance. “He will attack NATO countries, one way or another – not necessarily with missiles, but with terrorist attacks, for example,” the former Russian oligarch told Die Zeit.
One has to understand that Putin and his circle of power are convinced that they are waging a war in Ukraine against the USA – and thus against NATO. “I think he’s thinking: will NATO stick together if I cross the border into Poland or the Baltic States? I can try it!” says Khodorkovsky. “Personally, I think NATO will not react and, as a result, it will cease to exist. That’s exactly what Putin wants.”
Khodorkovsky is considered one of the best-known opposition figures in Russia. After the collapse of the Soviet Union, he was one of the richest men in the country as head of the Yukos oil company. He was jailed for 10 years from 2003 on tax evasion charges, after previously criticizing corruption under Putin. Today he lives in London.
