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However, it was evident that ‘Yuri’ hold a level of disdain for Russia’s leader.
‘[Putin] absolutely ruined Russia’s economy, Ukraine’s economy and many other economies — ruined [them] absolutely,’ the oligarch said, according to New Lines. ‘The problem is with his head. … One crazy guy can turn the world upside down.’
He decried Putin for saying he was ‘trying to find Nazis and fascists’ as a pretext to invade Ukraine, and went on to say ‘we all hope’ the Russian leader dies of cancer, or from an internal hit-job by those closest to him.
Yuri said he holds Putin personally accountable for the deaths of ‘more than 15,000 Russian soldiers and 4,000 or 5,000 civilians in Ukraine. It’s unbelievable. For what? He killed more people than in 10 years in the [Soviet] Afghan war.’
The magazine said it was able to authenticate the oligarch’s identity and voice. The publication said it would not reveal the name of the oligarch because of the repercussions he could face for criticising Russia’s president.
It added that he left Russia in 2021, and that his net worth put him in Forbes’ list of Russia’s top 200 wealthiest people. New Lines said the majority of the conversation was spent with Yuri asking how he could recover from Western sanctions.
But the magazine also said he was described by a former European security chief as being part of a close circle of 20 to 30 people the Russian leader met with in 2014, ahead of his annexation of the Crimean peninsula.
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It was also reported last week that an order by Putin to strike Ukraine or the West with nuclear weapons would be ignored by his top commanders, due to the fact that they believe he is unwell.
Many leading military and security officials as well as oligarch cronies believe Putin to be dying or gravely ill, said Christo Grozev, who is an expert on Russian affairs and is associated with the Bellingcat open source research group.
Believing that Putin could soon die, his inner circle would not risk being hauled before a modern equivalent of the Nuremberg trials for unleashing Armageddon, nor would they obey a Putin order to kill opposition foes, Mr Grozev claimed.
The Russian president placed Moscow’s nuclear forces on high alert shortly after his invasion of Ukraine began February 24, raising fears he could press the button as the war in Ukraine continues to go against him.
And amid increasing Western support to Ukraine, Putin has made thinly veiled threats hinting at a willingness to deploy Russia’s tactical nuclear weapons, which Russian military doctrine holds can be used to force an adversary to retreat.
Meanwhile, Russia has increasingly resorted to nuclear sabre-rattling as the war in Ukraine has stumbled, with state media last week issuing near-daily threats - including one to wipe out the UK and Ireland with a ‘nuclear tidal wave’.
Unfortunately we have two of them loose presently.
If you’re someone of note it’s probably a good idea to never say anything you wouldn’t want quoted on TV. Even if you’re in your bathroom.
Of course, if you’re a Republican, they’ll just make stuff up anyway. But it’s crucial you not say it on video. As an example look at anything the press says is a quote from DeSantis.