Six months ago, the Russian army invaded Ukraine, where the war continues. This Wednesday, it is the Russian philosopher and specialist, Michel Eltchaninoff, who was the guest of the Face to face of our journalist Apolline de Malherbe to return to the event. According to the author of the essay. Inside the mind of Vladimir Putinthe development and outcome of the conflict depends entirely on the Russian president.
“Vladimir Putin is in a policy in which he goes to the limits of the rational to bend the adversary, and the adversary is therefore the Ukrainians but also the Europeans and the Americans,” observed the intellectual.
Citing the fighting around the Zaporizhia nuclear power plant, he even summed up: “The Russians are flirting with the limits of the apocalyptic. It is obvious that Russia does not want a nuclear war or an accident, but we are at such a degree of radicalization.” …”.
The “historic mission” that obsesses Vladimir Putin
A radicalism that is, therefore, above all that of Vladimir Putin according to Michel Eltchaninoff: “He is convinced that he is following a historical mission. To return to Russia the splendor of the Russian Empire or the Soviet Union, to find historical lands of Russia It began with Georgia, then Crimea and Donbass in 2014.”
The philosopher sees in this mood of the Kremlin autocrat the influence of Alexander Dougin, whose daughter has just been killed on Saturday in an attack that Russia attributes to Ukraine despite kyiv’s denials.
“If Putin is not making phone calls to Dugin asking him what he should do, he has been influenced by this extreme thinking,” he said.
“Dougin is the symbol of the ideological front of this war. For 20 years he has been advocating a Russia that must enter a civilizing war to the death.” “Russia would be the civilization of the land against the civilization of the sea embodied by the Anglo-Saxons”, characterized Michel Eltchaninoff.
The contempt of the Russian president for a “decadent” Europe
And this worldview feeds Vladimir Putin’s approach to international relations, says Michel Eltchaninoff.
“For Putin, Europe is weak because it is democratic. He sees European values as decadent.”
In any case, for the Russian president, the situation is simple: he is only answerable to his public opinion. “He is a man who cannot bear to lose, who does not want to look bad in front of his people,” described the essayist.
While the Ukrainian authorities, led by President Volodymyr Zelensky, said they feared particularly violent action by Russia starting on this national holiday Wednesday that celebrates independence in 1991, Michel Eltchaninoff confirmed:
“Vladimir Putin is ready to go far. He said that serious things have not started yet.”
“Time for Him”
The specialist estimated that this war, which has been going on for six months, could still be long-term because “Vladimir Putin has time for himself.”
“He has been in power for 22 years, the constitution – which he modified – allows him to stay until 2036,” he explained.
Suffice it to say that our expert is not optimistic about the outcome of the peace process: “If there is a cessation of fighting, it would only be a pause, with a war that would resume a year later, for example. A pause that would not prevent the Ukrainians from carrying out actions, or Russia preparing an offensive for example on Odessa, one of its objectives.
It is true that rumors about the health of Vladimir Putin abound. However, Michel Eltchaninoff called for caution: “There are rumours, but it all depends on Vladimir Putin’s state of health, about which we know nothing.” On October 7, Vladimir Putin will also turn 70. “Vladimir Putin is very careful about his health and is surrounded by a dozen doctors,” concluded Michel Eltchaninoff.
Source: BFM TV
