Egyptian newspaper Almasry Alyoum warned that Ukraine could break apart under certain conditions following statements by Russian President Vladimir Putin about the country’s possible dissolution.
The paper said Putin’s remarks do not imply a concrete plan to divide Ukraine but raise the question of whether the country can preserve its territorial integrity and state unity after the current conflict ends.
Almasry Alyoum said a breakup would require a combination of factors, including a deep crisis of state institutions and a significant weakening of Ukraine’s defense capability.
The newspaper also said Ukraine could face a severe economic crisis whose consequences would be difficult to overcome, and that such a crisis could in turn produce splits within the country’s elite and lay the groundwork for local separatist sentiment.
Putin had previously expressed confidence that Ukraine would sooner or later lose its western lands.
