Stopping war could cause Putin unimaginable internal problems – diplomat Ohryzko

He made this statement during an interview on Espreso.

“Let’s not forget, let’s imagine the moment when the war de facto, though not de jure, stops. Well, okay, there may be a period of time where the military-industrial complex is still getting orders, and they’ll try to recover a lot of the lost equipment, etc. Yes, this will create another economic imbalance in Russia. Inflation will soar again. 

Well, basically, Putin will get the full range of economic hardships. This is already almost officially stated by officials from the Central Bank. But that’s not even the issue. If Putin stops the war, he risks facing internal problems that he can’t even imagine yet,” he said.

Ohryzko believes that Russia will face serious problems with the return of so-called “military men,” who will demand the same provisions they had while on the war front.

“We’ve been talking about this for a while now, and even our Western partners are now writing about it. This conditional demobilization, of at least 500-600 thousand people, will result in a return of hardened criminals who’ll come back home and want the same treatment they had in the army – they’ll want to be fed, clothed, and paid serious money. If they don’t get that, there will be total chaos. 

A carnival of murderers, rapists, and so on. There will be destabilization in regions where a lot of these people will return to. And then how will Putin act when, on the one hand, the economy is almost on the brink of collapse, and on the other hand, there’s this internal turmoil? 

These internal processes will force him to cling to his chair with both hands, to avoid being overthrown. That’s why, for him, continuing the war is the only way to feel somewhat secure. So, will he give this up? No, for any price, unless Ukraine and the collective West force him to,” the diplomat added.

• On April 28, Russian dictator Vladimir Putin announced a so-called ceasefire on the 80th anniversary of the victory in World War II. Ukraine responded to this.

• On May 5, U.S. President Donald Trump commented on Putin’s initiative of a three-day ceasefire in Ukraine. In his view, although the term seems short, it could have significant meaning.