Putin Crony Admits Russia Will 'Cease to Exist' if Ukraine War is Lost: 'There is No In-between'
A prominent Russian politician has warned that Russia will "cease to exist" if Vladimir Putin's war against Ukraine is lost, RadarOnline.com has learned.
Pyotr Tolstoy, deputy chairman of the lower house of Russia's Parliament, made the shocking admission during an appearance on Russian state TV over the weekend.
"Right now, we're in a situation where either we win in this war, or we cease to exist as a people and a nation,” Tolstoy told TV host Artyom Sheynin, according to a translation by the Russian Media Monitor and Daily Star.
"There is no in-between,” he continued. “There is no stopping, fortifying, or entrenching. The level of bitterness that exists right now tells us only one thing: either they destroy us or we destroy them.”
Tolstoy also proclaimed that Russia needed to “unite” around Putin “for the sake of victory.”
"Within our country we need unity, we need to unite around our Supreme Commander for the sake of our victory,” he said. "Let me reiterate: the fate of our country is at stake.”
“It's not about someone who ran away and is waiting for everything to blow over,” Tolstoy finished. “My friends, it won't blow over. It's either us or them."
As RadarOnline.com previously reported, Tolstoy's rant came as the Ukrainian counteroffensive continued to gain momentum.
An American think tank, the Institute for the Study of War, recently indicated that Ukraine made substantial advances in parts of their war-torn nation that were previously taken by Putin’s forces
"Ukrainian forces conducted counteroffensive operations on at least three sectors of the front and made claimed advances in some areas,” the think tank reported.
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"Ukrainian military sources reported that Ukrainian forces are achieving small successes on the southern flank of Bakhmut and are gradually advancing in the Berdyansk and Melitopol directions,” the Institute for the Study of War added.
Meanwhile, the latest Ukrainian military estimates suggested that the total number of Russian forces lost since the invasion began in February 2022 is approximately 246,000.
Alongside this staggering loss, Kyiv also believed that Russia lost over 8,000 armored personnel vehicles, 4,200 tanks, 315 planes, and 311 helicopters. However, the Kremlin recently estimated its losses to be much lower at just 6,000 – while Russian media outlets estimated the number to be as high as 50,000.
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Other sources familiar with the Kremlin and Moscow’s ongoing assault against Ukraine recently suggested that Putin would be ousted from power “within a year” due to his failure to take the neighboring nation after more than 17 months of fighting.
"A move is made violently, if necessary, to kill or topple Putin in favor of another securocrat or regime oligarch," Christopher Steele, a former MI6 spy, said last week.
"But [it will be] one who has distanced themselves from the war and is prepared to negotiate on ending it genuinely with the West,” Steele added.
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