'Not a natural death.' Ukrainian historian on Russian elite's plans for Putin
What Putin's last days will look like (collage: RBC-Ukraine)
Ukrainian historian and military officer Oleksandr Alfyorov has told how Putin will end his dictatorial career. In an interview with RBC-Ukraine, the scholar substantiates his conclusions by analyzing the past of Russian leaders.
What Putin's last days will be like
"I am simply convinced that he will be eliminated. The whole Russian system is built on the fact that there is a leader, a master, and he begins to feel so confident that he gets in the way of the elites. Consider which of the Russian leaders died a natural death?" says the historian.
He adds that almost all Russian leaders were eliminated.
"Nicholas II was shot, Lenin died as a result of the spread of neurosyphilis and an assassination attempt when he was shot. Stalin, who had a stroke, lay down in his office, and on Beria's orders, he was moved from bed to bed upside down so that he would die. Khrushchev was suspended, and Brezhnev died a natural death. Then Chernenko and Andropov were poisoned with a fish, they say. Then Gorbachev and Yeltsin, who were suspended," explains Alfyorov.
At the same time, the historian is convinced that Putin's elimination may happen shortly.
"Putin has crossed the line. Russian elites need another leader. Because they have been essentially deprived of their business, they are under sanctions. They can now only make money on the domestic market - on oil and gas. Russian businessmen understand that their earnings are linked to the crumbs from the master's table. We don't know whether Putin will be killed or removed like Khrushchev or Yeltsin. But, most likely, Putin will not die by natural death," the military officer says.
Is it appropriate to compare Putin to Hitler
"Sometimes people ask whether Putin can be compared to Hitler. But how can they be compared if Hitler received a good education, grew up on nineteenth-century German philosophy and German music? And who is this bastard? A fucking communist who consciously went to study to become a KGB officer, knowing that he would torture, surveil, and kill," says Alfyorov.
He is convinced that such a comparison of dictators is inappropriate.
"There is no need to compare Putin with Hitler. Both are terrible, but Hitler was brought up in high literary circles, aesthetic, philosophical, musical, and he was an artist himself, and this one draws with blood, like Pinocchio with his nose," the historian added.
You can see the full conversation with Oleksandr Alfyorov in the video below.
