Zelensky predicts Putin will eventually be killed by his inner circle
In documentary to mark a year of war, Ukrainian leader says Russian counterpart’s regime is ‘fragile,’ his own people will find a reason to ‘kill the killer’
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky predicted that Russian President Vladimir Putin will be killed by his own inner circle over his handling of the war in Ukraine and that the development is only a matter of time.
Zelensky made the remarks in the documentary “Year” by journalist Dmytro Komarov which was released on Friday to mark a year since the start of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.
“There will certainly be a moment when the fragility of Putin’s regime is felt in Russia,” Zelensky said according to a translation provided by the online newspaper Ukrainska Pravda. “Then carnivores will eat the carnivore. It is very important, and they will need a reason to justify this. They will recall the words of Komarov, of Zelensky…They will remember. They will find a reason to kill the killer. Will it work? Yes. When? I don’t know.”
As part of the documentary Zelensky also gave Komarov a tour of his underground bunker, where he directs the war and lives.
Russia’s invasion of its neighbor has been halted and in some places driven back by the defenders who are receiving weapons and support from Western allies. As the toll mounts on both sides, there have been reports of growing anger in Moscow at Putin.
In December The Washington Post reported that Putin’s closest allies are frustrated and are speculating he has no real plan for Ukraine.
The newspaper reported that members of the Russian elite it spoke to said they could not predict what will happen over the coming year and that they doubted Putin himself knew what he will do.
One Russian billionaire who has ties with top-ranking officials told the newspaper “There is huge frustration among the people around him. He clearly doesn’t know what to do.”
In addition to the military burden, Russia has become the most sanctioned nation in the world over the past year, targeted with sanctions by more than 30 countries representing more than half of the world’s economy. But the squeeze on its economy, trade and firms has yet to deliver a knockout blow.
In a message posted to his Telegram channel on Sunday, Zelensky vowed to keep fighting.
“This is our land. Our people. Our history. We will return the Ukrainian flag to every corner of Ukraine,” Zelensky wrote.
