Russia-Ukraine, “catastrophic events”. The oligarch freezes the West: what the annexations mean

Andrej Melnichenko has assets of nearly 20 billion dollars and is number one in fertilizer giant EuroChem. The Russian billionaire fled to Dubai after sanctions hit him, he was among the few oligarchs to criticize the war in Ukraine decided by President Vladimir Putin. In an interview with Corriere della Sera, Melnichenko traces the scenarios of the conflict between Russia and the West, offering an unprecedented point of view.

For billionaire Putin, he still has power because “he has the support of the majority of the population and the biggest political party”. In short, “if a decision is made, it is carried out”, but “the current administrative class is not particularly capable and over time several centers have emerged that have claimed the right to act on behalf of the president. Putin is a human being and having no control over this chaos is simply not possible. The result is that, during periods of instability, there is a danger that this type of management could produce catastrophic events.”

The annexation of the four occupied territories in Ukraine was done because Putin “had no choice. Special Operation”, explains the oligarch. “The annexation of the new regions is a very serious thing. The West still doesn’t understand what it really means. Once acquired, it will be impossible to change. Neither by Putin nor by his successors, in the next 30 or 40 years,” he argues. Melnichenko.

Is it the only hope in a “Tsar” incident? Not really. “In the West, there is the idea that everything in Russia is decided by Putin and that all problems, especially security ones, will be solved as soon as there is a regime change. It is a naive and dangerous idea,” he said. argues the oligarch. “As for the president’s popularity, I don’t think he will seriously suffer. Russian society will quickly adapt to the new reality,” he says, dismissing the hypothesis of a popular uprising for military mobilization decided by Putin.