Hear what worries ex-Russian lawmaker most about Putin's relationship with Prigozhin

 

For Russian lawmaker Ilya Ponomarev.

He was forced into exile.

He was the only lawmaker

to vote against Putin's

annexation of Crimea in 2014

which forced you, Ilya, to have to leave.

So Alex standing in Odessa tonight

and I think what's interesting is there's

you know I was there last week

you get the air raid sirens

but sometimes

Alex points out in recent days

you don't get the air raid sirens

and you still get the missile.

So you know this has been an onslaught

now for at least three days.

We'll see what happens this hour.

How long do you think Putin will continue

to bombard Odessa before his death?

That it will be forever.

He knows what he is

indeed is trying to do right now

is to prove

that he is

the guy who controls the Greensill.

And whether he wants that to happen,

that will happen,

whether he doesn't want.

So that will not happen.

And so the reality is that the Black Sea

fleet of Russia

is weaker than the one else, Turkey.

And so that's why they cannot sink

the ships in the Black Sea.

So instead,

they're trying to destroy the ports.

And obviously the Odessa is the port

that that's the border.

Then that's

just technically

as anti-missile

defense is way harder

to shoot those drones

when they approaching you.

Usually you shoot it in the back

because they're coming from the sea.

So there's nowhere to put your

your people in front.

Right.

Right at the promenade.

You're right there

on the on the on the on the beach there.

Putin made a visit today

to northwestern Russia near

the Barents Sea.

Really far out there, Ilya, before

he went there,

the Kremlin said he would

make a regional trip today.

They didn't say where.

Obviously, they've been a lot of concerns

about his safety, even drone attacks.

Right on Moscow itself.

But when you see that in his behavior,

how concerned

do you think he is about his own

safety, his own life or death?

Oh, that's good. He's afraid.

That's that's pretty obvious.

He's afraid of our guys

who may just have Stinger with him

or any other

anti-aircraft missile

that can shoot him from the skies.

And also, I think that he senses that

in the West,

the attitude towards

him is changing

and that somebody may give a command.

So let's let's change the guy in Russia.

Hmm.

So you think he does I mean, evidence or

as much as people here in America

are afraid of doing this.

You know,

this administration is very cautious

about this as much in Russia.

They do believe that it's

already happening

and that somebody from Syria or whatever

is working on that. Right. Right.

Well, and then, you know,

you had the Russian sub commander.

Right.

Killed by,

they say, a Ukrainian

but after tracking up

and they've got infiltration

of some sort. Right.

And they don't understand

that they cannot control the situation.

So today

in Belarus, video they released

Lukashenko's Belarus

showing the Belarus and forces

holding military exercises

with the Wagner Group,

which was supposed to be

relocating to Belarus,

even though Prigozhin himself

doesn't appear to have done that.

There is still

a real question

about where the Wagner loyalties lie.

And this is crucial, right?

Zelensky said.

Why need to put troops up on that border?

A foreigner is going to come down.

Wagner leaves the front.

It changes my war.

But you think the Putin promotion

relationship is not

what many others think?

But they others

think this is a real coup.

And Putin was weakened. You see that?

You think it might be different?

Well,

I think it was a real cool,

but it was a coup

against the Russian military

and not against Mr. Putin.

I think both Mr.

Putin was aware and that Mr.

Putin still at good terms with Mr.

Prigozhin.

Mr.

Gordon, I think, is

one of the most trusted mantra, Putin.

And that's one of the most trusted

one of the most trusted.

Yes.

Let's say you have a very long

history of relations

should be back in Saint Petersburg

when essentially Putin was running again.

And what precaution

was providing for the gang as an asylum

is the gathering place,

which has to be as secure as possible.

So that's one of the most trusted person

in any gang.

The guy who provided the premises.

But you're saying that you think

that Putin

and Prigozhin, in a sense,

may have been in this together

versus the military?

I think that Putin knew that Prigozhin

would not stand against him.

That's that's his.

He was, of course,

taking some precautions.

But at the end of the he

he trusted Prigozhin.

And I think that's what's happening

now is the perfect indication

that I was right.

I was saying this from the very beginning

and the fact that which and then met

with Wagner commanders

and everything

else, that's happening

proves that they still are in good terms.

And that's actually makes me worried

because being in in business,

I'm not here so much about Ukraine.

I think that Prigozhin himself

wanted to get out of Ukraine

for a very long time.

He was sick and tired of

being in Bermuda,

and he lost a lot of men there.

What I afraid this

his teammates running against Nate

or there is a railroad

that connects mainland

Russia with Kaliningrad

and is running a provocation.

There is a natural thing to do

because in this case,

because it looks like a non-state actor

and he is also not Russian,

but is actually known

from the territory of Belarus.

So which I will say it's not me

and then the Lithuanian,

some folks

would obviously call for Article five

and then

people like journalists will say,

why should we do it right?

We'll see.

Obviously a fearsome proposition there.

Thank you very much.

I appreciate your time,

Ilya Ponomarev, as I said.

English

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