Russia’s war in Ukraine may last for up to two years and if the country falls, Moscow may then attack the Baltic states, according to former Russian prime minister Mikhail Kasyanov.
Kasyanov, who was President Vladimir Putin’s first prime minister from 2000-2004, said in an interview with AFP that he did not initially believe Moscow would invade Ukraine, but realized Putin was “out of it” when he summoned the security council days before the attack.
“When I saw the meeting of Russia’s Security Council, I realised, yes, there will be a war,” Kasyanov said, adding that he felt Putin was not thinking properly.
“I just know these people and by looking at them I saw that Putin is already out of it. Not in a medical sense but in political terms,” he told AFP.
In Kasyanov, view, the war could last for up to two years and it is imperative that Ukraine win.
“If Ukraine falls, the Baltic states will be next,” he said.
Kasyanov, 64, was sacked by Putin and then joined Russia’s opposition. He is now the leader of the People’s Freedom party, or Parnas.
Earlier this month, he left the country. He said he was living in Europe but declined to specify which country out of concern for his safety.
The outcome of the war in Ukraine will also determine Russia’s future, Kasyanov believes.
He said that, after Putin, Russia could become a democratic country.
“I am certain that Russia will return to the path of building a democratic state,” he said, adding that it could take a decade to conduct the “de-Communisation” and “de-Putinisation” of the country.
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