Khodorkovsky called on Europe to split the elite around Putin
Mikhail Khodorkovsky called on European countries to offer the Russian elite an alternative to abandon their support for Vladimir Putin. In his opinion, influential Russians remain around Putin because they do not believe their situation will improve without him. Khodorkovsky also warned that lustration and the breakup of Russia could lead to armed conflicts in the country.
Khodorkovsky urged Europe to split the elite around Putin
He stated that European countries should offer influential representatives of the Russian elite an alternative to supporting Putin in order to help bring about a split within his inner circle.
Answering a question about whether internal forces in the country could remove Putin from power, Khodorkovsky noted that the Russian president had created a system to ensure his own security. In his opinion, another important factor is that influential people in Russia are not convinced that their situation would improve without Putin.
"If we are talking about a split in the elite, then individual exit options must be shown for each person," Khodorkovsky said.
According to him, such an exit route might also entail certain losses for these individuals. However, he called the fact that such opportunities do not exist even in the fifth year of the war a serious mistake by Europeans.
Khodorkovsky did not disclose the specific conditions of this path at the conference. Earlier, however, he wrote that for people who collaborated with the regime, simply stating that they no longer agree with it is not enough. As practical steps, he cited donating to Ukraine and giving testimony to investigators probing the regime's crimes.
Speaking about the future political transition in Russia, Khodorkovsky said that attempts to try individuals involved in the war and restrict their rights could trigger armed resistance within the country.
He emphasized that millions of Russians are connected to the war in one way or another. They or their relatives participated in the fighting, worked in military-industrial enterprises, or supported the order established by the authorities. Among these people are those who have been trained to handle weapons and are ready to resist measures applied against them.
"When we talk about lustration, reparations, and trials of war criminals, we must understand that we are talking about a new war," he said.
In this context, lustration refers to restricting individuals associated with the previous regime from holding public office, while reparations (contributions) refer to payments imposed on the defeated side at the end of a war.