Russia: Expert says Putin’s plan ‘pretty awful’

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Russia will not stop at Ukraine’s border, according to a chief Kremlin propagandist Vladimir Solovyov. The broadcaster, who hosts the popular Sunday Evening with Vladimir Solovyov on Russia-1, is a leading Putin loyalist and is understood to have a direct line with the Kremlin. The latest claim, made on a programme yesterday, has sparked alarm as one analyst tweeted that “Solovyov will parrot whatever line he thinks the Kremlin wants him to say”.

Mr Solovyov, seen as a mouthpiece for President Putin, has been an outspoken critic of Ukraine’s independence. 

One of the guests on the programme last night said: “Most importantly, we cannot stop halfway.

“Let’s say, leave Lviv for somebody or something else. Then we just should not have started anything.”

Mr Solovyov then responds: “With such sanctions, who said that it is necessary to stop at the borders of Ukraine?” 

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He continued: “We’ll hit them. We’ll absolutely hit them.

“We will turn the whole world into dust, but not right now.”

The guest responded: “Then the West will realize that Ukrainian borders are not important at all.

“We can keep moving if they themselves do not sign the capitulation on our terms.”

The apparent hardening of the Kremlin’s position in the war will raise alarms across Europe, amid speculation that non-NATO countries like Finland could be next for President Putin. 

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Simon Shuster, a reporter for TIME, tweeted: “Leading Russian propagandist Solovyov says Russia will ‘absolutely’ take the war beyond Ukraine.”

One political analyst Kevin Rothrock said that Mr Solovyov’s words are talking points from the Kremlin.

Another Ukraine analyst Alex Kokcharov even suggested: “Translation: Kremlin propaganda is promoting the invasion of NATO member states.”

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Meanwhile, on the ground in Ukraine today, there have been fierce clashes outside Kyiv.

There are fears that Russia plans a brutal large-scale assault on the capital.

British intelligence officials said this morning that the bulk of Russian forces are within 25km of the capital.

Russian troops also continue to encircle major cities including Kharkiv and Mariupol.

In Mariupol, a mosque, where more than 80 adults and children were sheltering, was shelled by Russian forces.

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