In an interview with Marc Perelman Khodorkovsky said Putin has been “deeply upset” by the events in Ukraine since 2014, when Russia annexed Crimea and Moscow-backed rebels declared autonomous republics in eastern Ukraine.

Khodorkovsky stated that Putin has committed “many errors” in planning for the Ukraine invasion, partly because of the isolation that plagues “all authoritarian leaders”. The Russian president’s invasion of Ukraine was “a historic error”, without which he could have remained in power until his death. Putin is committing political “suicide”, Khodorkovsky said, because “he cannot win in Ukraine, even by taking Kyiv and Kharkiv”.

He predicted the “decomposition” of the Russian regime within “one or two years”.  While Russian public opinion largely supports the war, because of propaganda and Kremlin’s crackdown on the press, this favourable view will change once Russian soldiers return in coffins and the population begins to suffer the effects of economic sanctions and international isolation.

Khodorkovsky said he believes Putin is now trying to “buy time” in the face of the anti-war movement developing in Russia, and that to stem the demonstrations, he will have to resort to bringing in his army.

He called for anti-war demonstrations in Russia for this Sunday, March 6th.

Watch the full interview here: