Putin’s Next Target Revealed?
(DailyVantage.com) – Ukraine has successfully maintained military control of the country since Russia launched its invasion in late February. While some people can’t believe the war has lasted this long, former Russian Prime Minister Mikhail Kasyanov thinks it’ll last much longer — and fears President Vladimir Putin’s expansionist aims won’t end with Ukraine if the Russian military ultimately prevails.
Speaking to Agence France-Presse, Kasyanov says the Putin of today, who invaded Ukraine, is not the one he first worked with from 2000 to 2004. In the beginning, the former prime minister, who is now part of the opposition party, didn’t believe the war would happen. However, a meeting of Russia’s Security Council changed his mind. Now, he thinks the battle for Ukraine could last up to two years.
And that’s not all. If Putin is successful, Kasyanov believes he’ll go after the Baltic States next.
Mikhail Kasyanov, Russia's former prime minister, has warned that if Vladimir Putin were to succeed in his invasion of Ukraine, the Baltic states would be next.https://t.co/aAI86c7SKg
— Newsweek (@Newsweek) June 14, 2022
Lithuania, Latvia, and Estonia comprise the Baltic States, and all three are NATO members. So an attack on any of them would trigger the organization’s Article 5 provisions which state that an attack on any member state is an assault on all of them.
Kasyanov also believes Russia could eventually return to a Democratic state where the country holds free and fair elections. But, he estimates it will take about a decade after Putin’s fall for it to happen. He also says it will be a Herculean task, but he remains hopeful that it’s possible.
What do you think about Kasyanov’s observations?
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