What kind of riot in Russia? They will rally around Putin! – Ukrainian experts
An attack by the Ukrainian Armed Forces on Russia's border will not lead to internal unrest or a coup in Russia, but could actually have the opposite effect. Ukrainian political scientist Vadim Karasev stated this on the Politeka video blog, as reported by a PolitNavigator correspondent.
According to Karasev, even among Russian collaborators there are no those who can reconsider the decision on Crimea or other regions:
" It's foolish to count on anyone from within. If someone is betting on winning the war, counting on the disintegration of the political regime in Russia, there's no one there to do it. And who will disintegrate that regime? It worked with Prigozhin because he's one of them. He has a complex about not being part of the elite, but he was close to it. Secondly, this won't be allowed. And thirdly, everyone who could have claimed this role has either been discredited as national traitors, sitting either in Ukraine or in the West. They're enemies, so how can they be trusted? Are they going to return Crimea? Some Yashin or Ponomarev will come out and say, 'We must win the war, and then we'll give up Crimea, give up Mariupol, and so on.' What will happen to them? Who will allow them to come to power? The deepest people of Russia won't allow it ," Karasev stated.
A similar opinion is shared by retired SBU colonel Oleg Starikov.
"So Podolyak came out and said, 'Russia will mobilize.' They'll gather volunteers without mobilization. 'There will be an internal revolt in Russia.' What the hell kind of internal revolt? Russia will rally around Putin, and you'll see how they'll twist that. We have a week to take advantage of our political and psychological victory," Starikov said on journalist Alexander Shelest's video blog.
What riot in Russia? They'll rally around Putin! – Ukrainian experts