Expert claims Russian President Vladimir Putin could be willing to ‘sacrifice’ millions in Ukraine war

A former Russian insider has given chilling insights into the devastating lengths Vladimir Putin could go to in order to defeat Ukraine.

A former Russian insider has made the sensational claim that Vladimir Putin would be willing to sacrifice tens of millions of his own people in the brutal war against Ukraine.

Russia first invaded its neighbour in February, and initially, it was feared that the defending army would be easily and swiftly defeated.

But that hasn’t happened, with Russia sustaining heavy losses over the past eight months, and recently Ukraine has managed to recapture more land than the invading army took in the last six months.

Despite Russia’s many setbacks, Moscow is stubbornly refusing to back down.

Now, an expert has made a chilling prediction regarding just how far the Russian President could be willing to go in the pursuit of victory.

Speaking to the UK’s Sky News recently, exiled former Russian diplomat Boris Bondarev, who worked for the Russian permanent mission to the United Nations Office at Geneva from 2019 until his resignation in May 2022 in protest over the Russian invasion of Ukraine, said millions could die.

“You should have no doubt about it, (Putin) may sacrifice 10 or 20 million Russians just to win this war, just to slaughter all Ukrainians, because it’s a matter of principle,” he said – a figure representing more than a tenth of the population.

He added that Putin “is not smart, he is just lucky” and that “now I think his luck is over”.

Mr Bondarev also explained that for Putin, the war was deeply personal, and that if the invasion ended in total failure, his own prospects would be bleak.

“It’s a matter of political survival to him,” Mr Bondarev said.

“You have to understand that, if he loses the war, it will be the end for him.

“After losing the war, he will have to explain to his elites and his population why it is so and he may find some problems in explaining this.

“And after that there may be opposition who will try to depose him or he will try to purge his subordinates to find some people who could be blamed for all these problems. There will be a period of internal turmoil.”

An expert has claimed Russian President Vladimir Putin could be willing to “sacrifice” millions of citizens in Ukraine. Picture: Sergei Ilyin/Sputnik/AFP

Mr Bondarev also claimed Putin believed he was “already waging the Third World War”, and that the nuclear threat posed by Putin was a very real one.

“I believe that there can be some plans to somehow deploy nuclear weapons during this war in Ukraine,” he said.

“The West, I think, must be consistent to remove Putin because while he and his regime is still in power in Russia, the threat of nuclear war will not go anywhere.”

Putin has already sparked backlash within Russia last month after announcing the call-up of hundreds of thousands of reservists.

The decision ignited a wave of protests and saw many Russian men rush for the border in a bid to escape the draft, following reports even the elderly and infirm were being tapped on the shoulder.

Late last month, a damning new survey by Russia’s independent Levada Centre found the majority of Russians did not support the president’s decision to force 300,000 military reservists into battle, with more and more citizens convinced the war is not going their way.

It comes as the Russian army has suffered a string of major setbacks in recent weeks. Picture: Stringer/AFP

The mobilisation of the reservists – including retirees – caused feelings of fear, alarm or shock in 70 per cent of those polled, with 66 per cent believing Putin could eventually expand the mobilisation to the entire nation.

Meanwhile, 31 per cent believe the invasion is failing, with almost half supporting peace talks, and a separate Levada poll also revealed Putin’s approval rating had plummeted as a result of the mobilisation.

Death toll climbs

Last week, the UN’s human rights agency announced there had been 15,956 civilian casualties since the start of the invasion on February 24, with 6322 civilians killed, including 397 children, and 9634 injured.

However, under-secretary-general for political and peacebuilding affairs Rosemary DiCarlo stated that “the actual figures are likely considerably higher”.

Meanwhile, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky recently urged Western nations to help Ukraine create an “air shield” of missile defence technology.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky. Picture: Sergei Supinsky/AFP

“When Ukraine receives a sufficient number of modern and effective air defence systems, the key element of Russian terror – missile strikes – will cease to work,” Mr Zelensky said.

He said that Ukraine was already managing to shoot down most Russian missiles and attack drones, but that global aid could help Ukraine “shoot down 100 per cent” of the threats.