A Russian opposition MP has warned that Vladimir Putin must end the disastrous war in Ukraine immediately, as the country stands on the brink of a social explosion. Vyacheslav Markhayev, a former police general, urged the ruling regime to come to its senses before Russia plunges into total chaos.
Markhayev's Warning
Markhayev, 71, criticized Putin's obsession with the war, which he says is sending young Russian men to their deaths. He demanded a clear public plan to end the special military operation based on Russia's national interests. The time for illusions has passed, he stated.
The country is on the brink of a social explosion, and full responsibility will lie with the irremovable authorities, Markhayev said. His comments come as Ukraine gains the upper hand in the conflict, inflicting massive human losses and chronic fuel shortages on Russia.
Human Cost
The death of the first Russian soldier born in 2008, Alisher Svirin, 18, from the Moscow region, was announced. Svirin was only 14 when the conflict began. Markhayev accused Putin of damaging the country like a foreign invader, seizing resources, looting industry, and driving up tariffs for personal enrichment.
Under Putin, there are no real achievements apart from the personal enrichment of the elites, the MP said. Pensioners are forced to spend 55% of their meager £52 weekly allowances on utility bills, while state cash goes to yachts, palaces, and foreign assets for the superrich.
Economic Disparity
Despite the war, the number of Russian billionaires has reached a record 155, with combined wealth amounting to almost $700 billion, one and a half times the federal budget. Multi-billion-rouble thefts and arrests of officials at all levels are common, Markhayev noted.
He was one of the few Russian MPs to vote against dismembering invaded regions of Ukraine in 2022. Corruption scandals are combined with continuing losses among the most active and reproductive part of the population due to ineffective leadership, he said.
Continued Attacks
Attacks on Russian cities are not stopping, their geography is expanding, and the West is increasing supplies of drones. The Presidential Administration has reduced the goals of denazifying and demilitarizing Ukraine to merely new invaded territories, rather than the whole country.
If this situation continues, a social explosion and total chaos will become more likely, Markhayev warned. The West will inevitably take advantage to finish off what remains of Russian statehood. Putin's team has been in power for a quarter of a century and appears to have largely lost touch with people's needs.
Modern Russia has existed for half as long as the Soviet Union, yet only oligarchs and their entourage, less than 5% of the population, can boast of development. Markhayev called on the ruling authorities to come to their senses.
New overnight strikes by Ukraine hit a Russian port and energy facilities in occupied Crimea, further escalating the conflict.
