Russian elite revolt against Putin is not unrealistic — Ukraine's security chief

A scenario where Russian elites turn against their leader, dictator Vladimir Putin, appears plausible, Ukraine's National Security and Defense Council (NSDC) Secretary, Oleksandr Lytvynenko, said in an interview with The Economist on April 15.

"There are still quite a few rational people in the leadership," Lytvynenko said.

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"They will think and act when they realize the cost of staying with Putin is greater than moving away from him."

Such a development could potentially make Putin cease the attack on Ukraine. However, Ukraine's top priority is to obtain "real security guarantees" such as NATO membership or a comprehensive security agreement with the United States, Lytvynenko said.

Putin has not yet stepped back from his maximalist aims, namely "to destroy the Ukrainian state and turn it into a buffer zone."

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Lytvynenko, who spent five years training at the elite KGB Academy in Moscow, has a deep understanding of Russian operations. As the former head of Ukraine's foreign intelligence service during the ongoing conflict, he has focused on sabotaging and gathering intelligence from his former colleagues.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy dismissed Danilov as NSDC secretary and appointed Oleksandr Lytvynenko to the post on March 26.

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Read the original article on The New Voice of Ukraine