Putin Returning Russia ‘Not to Soviet but to Stalinist’ System, Felgengauer Says

Paul Goble

            Staunton, September 20 – Reports that Vladimir Putin wants to create a single security agency in place of the plethora of such institutions Russia has now shows that he is seeking to return “not just to a Soviet but to a Stalinist” system, something that threatens both the Russian people and Russia’s neighbors, Pavel Felgengauer says. 

            The independent Russian military analyst argues that “Russia is a country of special services and that under existing conditions, the powers that be have no other choice” but to allow everything to fall part or “return to Stalinist methods” and use force to try to hold on (apostrophe.ua/article/politics/2016-09-20/mgb-putina-mozhet-nesti-ugrozu-dlya-ukrainy/7333).

            Discussions in Moscow about recreating a single ministry of state security are taking place now, Felgengauer says, “because the situation in Russia is becoming still worse, its future prospects are quite bad, there is a foreign war and a domestic war, conflicts within the leadership, [and] a struggle between the defense ministry and the finance ministry.”

            Moreover, he says, “there is a catastrophic shortage of money, the life of the population is getting worse, and it is necessary to be prepared for anything.” That makes the creation of such a super ministry both understandable and timely as far as Putin is concerned.

            In the short-term, this institution will not threaten Ukraine directly, but over the longer haul, it will have an impact as the war drags on. Indeed, Felgengauer says, it can pose a serious threat to Ukraine because of what it shows about the nature of the opponent Kyiv faces now and in the future.

             There is a more immediate Ukrainian link, and it is one that Russia, Ukraine and the entire international community should recognize and draw conclusions from: Putin tested out the process of “creating such agencies” in the LNR and DNR and is now translating them into Russia, yet another indication of kind of cancers they represent to Russia and the world.