"The man behind Putin"... Interesting details about a Russian figure who led the president to the decision to war

A prominent Russian journalist revealed exciting details about a Russian figure close to Russian President Vladimir Putin who had an influential role in Russia's decision to war on Ukraine, in addition to other factors, including Putin's isolation and surrounding himself with "sycophants".

Journalist Mikhail Zygar, author of "All the Kremlin's Men", one of Russia's bestsellers, says in an opinion piece published in the New York Times Thursday that his own sources have told him that Putin's behavior over the past two years is alarming.

Zigar added that prominent businessmen and well-informed sources from within the Kremlin, all of whom requested anonymity, told him that the decision to war on Ukraine came as a result of Putin's isolation from his surroundings, his deep belief in the need to restore Russian hegemony over Ukraine, and his decision to surround himself with ideologues and sycophants.

They reveal, according to Zygar, that Putin spent the spring and summer of 2020 in complete isolation at his residence in Valdai, a town roughly halfway between Moscow and Saint Petersburg.

And in the manner of "the man behind Omar Suleiman", he was accompanying the Russian President at the time, Yuri Kovalchuk, who is the largest shareholder in the Bank of Russia and controls many state-approved media outlets and has been Putin's close friend and trusted advisor since the 1990s, according to informed sources in the administration. Putin.

But by 2020, according to Zygar's sources, Kovalchuk was able to establish himself as the de facto second man in Russia, and the most influential of all those close to the president.

The writer says that Kovalchuk, who has a Ph.D. in physics, is known for endorsing anti-American conspiracy theories.

"It seems that Putin has this theory as well," he adds.

Since the summer of 2020, Putin and Kovalchuk have been virtually inseparable, and the two have been plotting together to restore Russia's greatness, according to Zygar.

According to people familiar with Putin's conversations with his aides over the past two years, Putin has completely lost interest in issues of the present, such as the economy, social issues, and the coronavirus pandemic. Instead, Putin and Kovalchuk have become obsessed with the past.

The writer quotes a French diplomat as saying that French President Emmanuel Macron was surprised when Putin gave a lengthy lecture on history during one of their talks last month.

Zygar notes that Putin believes he is in a unique historical position in which he can finally recover from the previous years of humiliation that followed the fall of the Soviet Union.

It shows that Putin and Kovalchuk believe that the West took advantage of Russia's weakness in that period to push NATO as close as possible to the country's borders.

It seems that no one close to him is telling him that this is not true, according to the writer, who confirms that Putin no longer meets with his friends for drinks and barbecues, according to people who know the president.

And he continues that in recent years, and especially since the beginning of the epidemic, Putin has cut off most contacts with his advisers and friends, and has become isolated and far from even most of his old entourage.

He also says that Putin's bodyguards have imposed a strict protocol by which they do not allow anyone to see him without being quarantined for a week.

This includes Igor Sechin, who was once his personal secretary and now heads the state-owned oil company "Rosneft".

Follow our latest local and sports news and the latest political and economic developments via Google news