Piontkovsky Names Putin's Biggest Mistake

The political analyst believes that the third break-up of the Russian Federation is imminent.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky's signing of a decree on granting citizenship to all ethnic Ukrainians, especially those living in Russia, is a good asymmetric step that does not change the official position of Ukraine and its allies on restoring Ukraine's territorial integrity within the 1991 borders.

This is what political analyst Andriy Piontkovsky said in an interview with Channel 24.

According to the expert, it is clear that Ukraine does not seek an AFU parade on Red Square. The victory is the restoration of Ukraine's 1991 state border.

"No one will interfere in Russia's internal affairs, no one will go there, because such a thing will start there, God forbid. The next day, Ramzan Kadyrov will declare independence for Chechnya, as will a number of other republics in the North Caucasus. We see that the national movement in the Volga region is also large," says Andriy Piontkovsky.

According to Piontkovsky, there will be a third collapse of Russia, which has already been postponed twice.

The political scientist recalled that the first time was in 1917-1918.

The second time was in 1991.

"But Putin decided that it was, as it turned out, the 'greatest geopolitical catastrophe' of the 20th century. He thought, if the Bolsheviks could restore all that, why can't I? But the Bolsheviks offered Ukrainian Christians not a Ukrainian national idea, but triumph, justice, Christians working all over the world, and so on. Many people believed it," says Andriy Piontkovsky.

Now, according to the political scientist, Putin is offering Ukrainians, as well as Lithuanians, Belarusians and Armenians, the so-called "Great Russia" that nobody needs.

"Nobody needs this 'Great Russia'. This is Putin's biggest mistake. It seemed to him that, like the Bolsheviks, he could restore everything with ease," the expert said.

Therefore, he noted, the third collapse of the so-called "Russian Empire" is now inevitable.

"I think that many Russian territories will find their salvation in this tumultuous collapse, in joining a prosperous European state," Piontkovsky said.

The expert called the information about the restoration of national borders a "correct throw-in".

"But it is not worth stressing it now, at this stage of the war. But it is a certain message for the future," Piontkovsky added.