Vladimir Putin has formed an escape plan to flee to South America in the event Russian forces are defeated in Ukraine, according to the Russian leader’s former speechwriter. Quoting a Kremlin source, political pundit Abbas Gallyamov has suggested Putin is exploring the option of asylum in Venezuela as part of a secretive plan given the codeword “Noah’s Ark” by senior Moscow aides.
Gallyamov wrote on Telegram: “I usually don’t retell insider stories, but today I will make an exception.
“Firstly, I trust the source too much, and secondly, the information is very juicy.
“As the name [Noah’s Ark] implies, it is about finding new lands where you can go in case it becomes completely uncomfortable in your homeland.
“The leader’s entourage does not exclude that he will lose the war, lose power and he will have to urgently evacuate somewhere.”
According to Newsweek, Gallyamov said his source understands that the Vice-President of Russian energy firm Rosneft, Yury Kurilin is “the man on the ground,” sorting the potential escape route to Venezuela.
Gallyamov explained: “In the summer, he formally resigned from [Rosneft] and now devoted himself entirely to ‘Noah’s Ark.’
“He has American citizenship and good connections. He graduated from Hayward University in California [and] worked in BP structures, including in the high position of director of corporate affairs.”
He added: “Unfortunately, my source does not know any other details, however, what has been said is enough to understand: when they [Russia] say that ‘everything is going according to plan,’ it makes sense to clarify which one. They seem to have more than one plan.”
Retired US commander Mark Hertling told CNN: “I think we’re gonna see because of a variety of factors Ukraine having a cross over the Dnipro river, Russia trying to force mobilise forces to the front.
“Some very good victories recently by Ukraine in both the Northeast and the Southeast. I think we’re going to see a little bit of slowing down, but Ukraine continues to defend well and fight and gain more ground.”
He added: “What we’re seeing and what’s been reported by both CNN and the Washington Post is this potential opportunity to train large numbers of Ukrainian forces at some of the US training areas.
“Which will create the capability for Russia for Ukrainian forces to counter what we’ve seen so far as very poor Russian tactics and capabilities. If Ukraine can train these large amounts of forces armed forces in combined arms operations, I think we’ll continue to see Ukraine getting more and more victories as the days go on.”
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