For years there had not been such open and violent insults against a person from Vladimir Putin’s inner circle. But who, among the hawks and the presidential spokesman, really interprets the line of the tsar?
For many years, figures from Putin’s inner circle have not come under such violent and direct attacks as Dmitry Peskov, who has worked closely with the president for 22 years, has in recent hours.
One of the most important cases was that of economist Alexei Kudrin, who was forced to leave the Ministry of Finance in September 2011. With him was defeated the entire patrol of liberals and reformists of St. Petersburg, who had supported Putin since the beginning of his first term and who were pushing for Russia to move ever closer to the Western model of openmarket democracy. However, even then the tones were not so harsh and, above all, to make themselves heard, Kudrin were not even second or thirdrate representatives of the nomenklatura.
Blaming today’s moderates who want to find an honorable way out of the military special operation in Ukraine are instead figures who generally base and cover on the official line dictated by the Kremlin.
Peskov, like Vladimir Medinsky, head of the Russian delegation at the negotiations, was effectively accused of treason. Ramzan Kadyrov, the Kremlin Lord’s most loyal Chechen leader, spoke. He made his criticism via telegram channels Evgeniy Prigozhin, known as Putin’s cook, who invented (although he denies) the private militia on behalf of boss Wagner, which engaged on behalf of the homeland to fight in different corners of the world, from Syria to Libya, to Ukraine. Then moderators, directors of state newspapers with strict adherence to Putin, appeared on open television. In short, a war of all against all that now obliges analysts to understand who is on one side and who is on the other.
Peskov, Medinsky and Central Bank Governor Elvira Nabiullina would include the entire state economic structure, from ministers to senior executives. They recognize that Russia runs the risk of being very hurt if it continues down this path.
Some sources also included defense chief Sergei Shoigu in this front, who had completely disappeared from the public stage for several days. Someone even said they would try to resign. But now Russian sides are saying that the rumors surrounding the minister’s position were only the result of an attempt by American intelligence agencies to get him into trouble.
Shoigu, it is said, would instead be among those determined to go all the way at all costs.
Instead, Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov would have championed the cause of the deaf, seen increasingly nervous in recent press conferences, with his hands busy twisting the headphones cord and a recurring face twitch.
The others know each other: Kadyrov, who wanted the conquest of Kiev to be entrusted to his Chechens, Vyacheslav Volodin, speaker of the Duma, and Dmitry Medvedev, who, when he succeeded Putin as president between 2008 and 2012, with the Democrats who they raised hopes and believed to be able to bring about the political turnaround that so many awaited.
Now Medvedev does not let a day go by when he does not thunder against the West and sanctions: the current illegal measures, unprecedented in scope, scale and level of cynicism, would lead to a further collapse of all international institutions, including first of all the United Nations, cause said he said yesterday. And he immediately added: Diplomatic relations with some states would end in deadlock, be downgraded or be severed altogether.
But there are those who believe the hawks are actually up against someone far more powerful than Peskov or Medinsky: the Kremlin spokesman’s statements would be shared by his boss.
Political scientist Gleb Pavlovsky, a former adviser to the presidential administration, says: Peskov simply brings back Putin’s line: peace talks accompanied by continuous military pressure. According to Pavlovsky, it is ridiculous to assume that the president’s spokesman could express his own opinion, as opposed to that of the boss.
April 9, 2022 (Change April 9, 2022 | 20:46)
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