Threats of World War III – Putin does not rule out a major conflict with NATO

“I think it is unlikely that anyone (third party) is interested in this,” Putin was further quoted by the state agency Tass. According to Putin, numerous soldiers from NATO member states have already been deployed in Ukraine. “We already know that,” he said. French and English have already been heard. “This is not a good thing, especially for them, because they are dying there in large numbers,” Putin said – without providing any evidence for this claim.

The Russian president appeared open to discussions on the French proposal for a ceasefire in Ukraine during the Olympics. However, the interests of the Russian army on the front should be taken into account. The Olympic Games will take place in Paris from July 26 to August 11.

Putin sees that his troops have the advantage
The head of the Kremlin sees his troops in Ukraine as having a clear advantage after capturing several towns and villages in the east of the country. “The initiative comes entirely from the Russian forces and in some areas our people are just mowing them down – the enemy.”

The Kremlin had presented the elections as an opportunity for the Russians to show their support for Russian military operations in Ukraine. Putin appeared as the clear election winner at his campaign headquarters: as the state news agency RIA Novosti reported, citing election authorities, after counting votes from 99 percent of polling stations, he received 88.33 percent and therefore waits another six years. term. He has governed the Russian state increasingly autocratically for almost 25 years. Putin’s victory was considered a foregone conclusion from the start. All of the Kremlin leader’s best-known critics are dead, imprisoned or in exile.

Numerous drone attacks in Russia
The three-day vote was accompanied by numerous Ukrainian drone strikes. According to the Defense Ministry, eight regions in Russia were attacked with drones on Sunday evening and Sunday morning alone. Pro-Ukrainian fighters also advanced towards Russia’s border areas.

Moreover, Putin officially confirmed for the first time on Sunday that the now deceased Kremlin critic Alexei Navalny must be replaced. Putin said at a press conference in Moscow after his presidential election victory that he had already authorized the exchange of Russians imprisoned in the West. “As for Mr Navalny, he is no longer alive,” Putin said. “This is a sad event.”

“Unfortunately, what happened happened,” Putin continued about Navalny’s death. “But it happens, you can’t do anything about it, that’s life.”

Navalny confidante on Putin: “Blood-sucking bug”
Navalny’s longtime confidant Leonid Volkov called Putin’s statement a month after the Kremlin opponent’s death “cynical.” Putin, who uttered Navalny’s name for the first time, essentially killed his opponent so he wouldn’t have to be replaced. He described Putin as a “blood-sucking bug” that would soon burst.

Kremlin critic Navalny, who was sentenced to a long prison term, died in a prison camp in Siberia in mid-February. The circumstances of his death are still unclear to this day. Authorities say Putin’s fiercest critic collapsed as he walked through the icy prison. Attempts at resuscitation failed. His widow Yulia Navalnaya believes her husband was murdered in the camp.

Shortly after Navalny’s death, it was reported from his circle of confidants that he should have been exchanged for the so-called Tiergarten murderer, who was imprisoned in Germany. Accordingly, Vadim K., who was convicted in Germany in December 2021, should have been extradited to Russia – in exchange for Navalny and two unnamed Americans. It was said that a corresponding offer was made to Kremlin chief Vladimir Putin in early February.