It has been almost 20 years since Leonid Nevslin (62) left Russia to find a new home in Israel. He publicly renounced his Russian citizenship earlier this year in response to the Russian invasion of Ukraine. He described Russian President Vladimir Putin, 69, as a psychopath and a “criminal”.
In Russia, Nevslin faced multiple charges of conspiracy to murder. He was sentenced to life imprisonment in absentia in 2008. Nevslin was the vice president of the Russian oil company Yukos before it broke up. He describes the investigation against him as a show trial by Putin. In an interview “The Times of Israel” He now talks in detail about the situation in Ukraine – and what he thinks Putin wants to achieve.
“vindictive and cowardly personality”
As Putin massed his forces along the Ukrainian border, Nevslin initially did not believe an attack was imminent. But then he realized: “This is how a psychopath behaves when his toy is taken away from him – he starts a war.” According to Newslin, it made no sense at first. “But you understand that this is not a head of state, but a mafia leader with a vindictive and cowardly personality.”
According to Newslin, a partial victory is enough for Putin that Ukraine can be satisfied and see itself as the winner of fixing the 2014 border – including the return of Crimea. If he captures the entire Donbass region and shows his citizens that he has destroyed the Nazis, expanded Russian territory, annexed the Donbass to the Crimean Peninsula, and gained control of the Sea of Azov, Russian propaganda is doing it. The rest.”
What are Putin’s goals? Nevslin: “If initially he wanted to renew the Soviet model and unite Ukraine, Moldova and Belarus with Russia, now everything has changed. Putin is trying to destroy Ukraine. We see it in the unbearable violence and cruelty of this war.”
Nevslin says Putin is massacring Ukrainians and destroying infrastructure. “First there were rumors that he wanted to divide the Ukrainian wealth among the oligarchs close to him. If that had been the case, he would not have destroyed Azovstal, but would have taken it and then sent it to his allies.” (no)
“Wannabe pop culture fanatic. Zombie advocate. Entrepreneur. Internet evangelist. Alcohol fanatic. Typical travel buff.”
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