predicts attack
During a recent broadcast on Russian state television, a former senior Russian official predicted that an attack on Moscow by Ukraine or its allies was inevitable.
Andrei Fedorov, Russia’s former deputy foreign minister and former adviser to Russia’s prime minister and vice president, made the prediction during a panel hosted by foreign policy analyst Maxim Yusin on Russia’s HTB channel.
The topic discussed was Western countries supplying fighter jets to Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky’s army. Another panelist asked Fedorov whether such weapons would constitute the crossing of Russian President Vladimir Putin’s “red lines” that would lead him to escalate the conflict.
Fedorov replied that giving Ukraine jets was not one of Russia’s red lines. When asked if he knew what those lines were for the Kremlin, Fedorov replied: “I know, yes.”
He was then asked to name some of Putin’s red lines.
“It’s a strike on the command centers in Moscow,” he said.
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He was asked if he meant “strike attempt”.
“A strike, not an attempt. The strike that has to come will be a red line,” Fedorov said.
A clip of the exchange was shared on Twitter by Anton Gerashchenko, who is an adviser to the Minister of Internal Affairs of Ukraine.
This bold forecast was not the first time that Fedorov made such a statement regarding a possible attack on Moscow. After the late September recapture of Lyman, a Ukrainian town in the Donetsk region, he and other experts from Yusin’s HTB show expressed surprise at the strength of Zelensky’s forces.
Journalist Julia Davis, the founder of the Russian Media Monitor, posted an extract of Fedorov’s reaction to Lyman’s release on October 1, 2022.
Reality sneaks up on unsuspecting Russian state TV hosts. An expert reveals they weren’t supposed to mention Lyman (although the host denies this). He says everyone knows things are not going well for the Russian troops. Another expert says Kyiv might start bombing Moscow. pic.twitter.com/M8PVPlrGqG
— Julia Davis (@JuliaDavisNews) October 1, 2022
“Dramatic changes are taking place because Russia has occupied, or rather it is said, annexed these areas and for this reason, Ukraine is starting a war to liberate these territories,” Fedorov said. “Not some kind of special operation, but a war.”
He went on to say that the Ukrainian army could then strike deep into Russian territory.
When asked if Moscow could be the target of such a strike, Fedorov replied: “Yes, of course”.
Some reports suggest the Kremlin may already be preparing for a strike on Moscow. In January, photos and videos circulated on social media of what users described as Pantsir-S1 air defense systems placed on the roofs of several buildings in Moscow.
Around the same time, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov warned of an escalation in Ukraine if the West supplied Kyiv with long-range weapons capable of striking inside Russian borders.
predicts attack
Newsweek contacted the Russian Foreign Ministry for comment.
