Retired FSB General Yevgeny Savostyanov backed retired Colonel General, Chairman of the All-Russian Officers’ Assembly (OOS) Leonid Ivashov, who opposed Russia's conflict with Ukraine and, representing Russian officers, called for the resignation of Russian President Vladimir Putin.
According to Savostyanov, Ivashov’s appeal aligns with the desires of the democratic community for peace in Russia and Ukraine.
“Ivashov’s appeal proves that the patriots of Russia are not those who, advocating for war and military aggression, but those who are concerned about the peaceful development of our country,” wrote said a former Chekist at Facebook. “Peace and prosperity for the people of Russia, not the satisfaction of the leaders’ imperial ambitions – this is a truly patriotic demand that unifies honest and responsible people, despite differing views!”
Savostyanov added that Ivashov had previously been “militant and aggressive, but now he realized that peace is in the interests of the people” and his position should resonate with society.
In his circulation Ivashov reminded the people and Putin that earlier Russia and the USSR waged “forced (just) wars” when “there was no other way out.” Today, the existence of the country is threatened by the steady “degradation of vital areas”, including demography. According to the retired Colonel General, this is “an internal threat emanating from the model of the state, the quality of power and the state of society”: the system of government and power is incapacitated and not professional, and people are passive.
The retired officer does not deny external threats, but they “are not now critical.” According to him, the situation escalating around Ukraine is “artificial, mercenary in nature for some internal forces” in Russia. “Attempts through an ultimatum and threats to use force to force people to fall in love with the Russian Federation and its leadership are senseless and extremely dangerous,” Ivashov said.
The use of force against Ukraine, he continues, “will call into question the existence of Russia itself as a state”, “will forever make Russians and Ukrainians mortal enemies”, will lead to heavy losses on both sides and the entry of NATO countries into the conflict. At the same time, Russia will face the heaviest sanctions, turn into “a pariah of the world community” and may ultimately lose its independence.
Summing up, Ivashov in his address expresses the opinion that the Russian authorities are provoking “tensions on the brink of war” in order to distract citizens from internal problems and a systemic crisis.
