- A former Russian politician, ousted in 2016, is fighting alongside Ukrainian forces.
- Ilya Ponomarev said CNN on Wednesday that he believes Putin’s days in power are numbered.
- He called Putin a “dictator” and said he was confident that Ukrainian forces “will prevail”.
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A former Russian lawmaker fighting for Ukraine said CNN on Wednesday that he believes Russian President Vladimir Putin’s days are numbered because “no dictator can survive after losing the war”.
Ilya Ponomarev has lived in Kyiv, Ukraine since 2016 after he was overthrown by the Russian Parliament. After the Russian invasion on February 24, the former politician took up arms and joined the Ukrainian armed forces.
From Kyiv, Ponomarev told CNN that he decided to fight alongside Ukrainian troops because he wanted to “defend humanity and Europe.” Exactly what his role in the armed forces is is unclear.
“No dictator can survive after losing the war,” Ponomarev said of Putin. “[Putin] has no way of winning the war.”
“Putin will try to secure a certain victory on May 9th – an imaginary victory. I’m absolutely sure, but the reality is he’s losing the war,” he added. “I think that the Ukrainian army and the Ukrainian people will not stop until the Ukrainian territory is free.”
You can watch the full interview here:
— CNN (@CNN) April 13, 2022
Also known as Victory Day, May 9th is a major holiday in Russia, commemorating the defeat of Nazi Germany in 1945 and is usually marked with a huge military parade in front of the Kremlin.
The General Staff of the Armed Forces of Ukraine said last month that Russian troops will be told the war must end on May 9.
According to CNN, Western officials believe Putin wants control of Donbass and other eastern regions of Ukraine by that date.
Ponomarev, who has opposed Putin in the past, was a member of Russia’s parliament from 2007 to 2016, Reuters reported. According to Reuters, in 2014 he was the only MP to vote against the annexation of Crimea.
According to the Russian news agency TAAS, he was charged with failure to perform his duties in 2016 and transferred to Kyiv.