Russian opponent Alexei Navalny, jailed for more than two years, said a Kremlin military defeat in Ukraine was “inevitable”, almost a year after the Russian army’s massive offensive against Kiev.
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“A final military defeat (in Ukraine) can still be delayed at the cost of the lives of hundreds of thousands of mobilized people (the Russian reservists recently recruited by Moscow, ed.), but in the end it is inevitable,” at – he stated in a post by his team on social media on Monday.
“The combination of aggressive war, corruption, incompetence of generals, weak economy, heroism and great motivation of those who defend can only lead to defeat,” he stressed.
In this lengthy message, published four days before the anniversary of the Kremlin’s offensive against Ukraine, the 46-year-old anti-corruption activist, a favorite nuisance of Russian President Vladimir Putin, sets out his 15-point opposition to the conflict.
He sees political and economic difficulties in Russia as well as Vladimir Putin’s desire to “remain in power at all costs” and to leave an image of the “tsar-conqueror” as a historical legacy as the “real reasons” for the offensive.
According to Mr. Navalny, tens of thousands of innocent Ukrainians were killed.
The opponent also calls on Russia to respect the borders with Ukraine agreed in 1991 when the USSR collapsed, which therefore include the Crimean Peninsula in Ukrainian sovereignty.
Crimea was annexed by Moscow in 2014 and Mr Navalny has often been accused in the past of backing this measure, which has been denounced by the international community.
“We must leave Ukraine alone and give it the opportunity to develop as its people see fit,” he wrote, calling for the withdrawal of Russian troops. “Continuing the war is a cry of helplessness, but stopping it is a strong gesture,” Mr. Navalny continues.
The opponent also insists on the need to compensate Ukraine economically after the end of the conflict and to investigate the “war crimes” committed with international bodies.
He also asserted that most Russians had no “imperial conscience” and called for the “dismantling of the Putin regime”.
“Aware of our history and our traditions, we must be part of Europe and follow a European path of development. We have no other way and need no other way,” he concluded.
Mr Navalny was arrested in Russia in January 2021 when he returned to the country after suffering severe poisoning which he blames on the Kremlin. Last March, he was sentenced to nine years in prison for “fraud,” which he believes was fabricated.