Mikhail Khodorkovsky, once a powerful Russian oligarch and now a vocal exile, has issued a stark warning to the United Kingdom. He believes President Putin is actively plotting to sow discord and fear within Western nations, mirroring the tactics employed in the 2018 Salisbury poisoning.
Khodorkovsky asserts that the Kremlin’s objective isn’t necessarily about eliminating individuals, but about cultivating a pervasive sense of vulnerability. The impact, he explains, lies in the psychological effect – the realization that no one is safe from potential attacks on Western soil.
He emphasizes the Kremlin’s adaptability, stating that those within Putin’s inner circle are not simply ruthless, but also remarkably inventive. They are constantly devising new methods to exert pressure, and future actions will likely resemble the Salisbury incident in their insidious nature.
The UK, according to Khodorkovsky, has been specifically designated as Putin’s primary adversary. This focused animosity suggests a deliberate strategy to undermine British stability and influence.
Drawing parallels to the Cold War era, Khodorkovsky suggests a firm, mirrored response is crucial. He recalls how a strong stance in the 1950s and 60s effectively curtailed similar aggressive actions, prompting those involved in such operations to flee and abandon their dangerous work.
He acknowledges the difficult question of whether modern British society is prepared for such a forceful counter-strategy. Intelligence operatives, like anyone else, value their lives, and a robust response could deter future attacks by raising the stakes too high.
The warning echoes the tragic events of 2018, when Sergei Skripal, his daughter Yulia, and police officer Nick Bailey were poisoned with the nerve agent Novichok. The attack, believed to have been carried out by Russian military intelligence, involved smearing the substance on Skripal’s door handle.
Dawn Sturgess, an innocent civilian, later died after unknowingly coming into contact with the same nerve agent, highlighting the indiscriminate danger posed by such actions. Her boyfriend, Charlie Rowley, also fell ill but survived.
This renewed alert arrives amidst accusations leveled against Khodorkovsky himself. Russia’s Federal Security Service (FSB) claims he and 22 members of the Anti-War Committee are conspiring to violently overthrow Putin, branding them a “terrorist community.”
Khodorkovsky vehemently denies these allegations, dismissing them as fabricated charges. He was previously imprisoned in Russia for a decade on fraud and tax evasion charges, which his legal team maintains were politically motivated.
Following his release in 2013, Khodorkovsky fled Russia and has since become a prominent critic of Putin’s regime, dedicating his efforts to opposing the president’s policies and exposing alleged abuses of power.
