Minister urges Russian generals to stage a COUP to end Putin’s ‘Tsarist fantasy’ saying they know he is ‘isolated’ and ‘illogical’
- Foreign Office minister James Cleverly has made an appeal to Russian generals
- He urged them to step in to stop ‘illogical’ Vladimir Putin’s ‘Tsarist fantasy’
- Russia launched a full-scale invasion of Ukraine in the early hours of the morning
A Foreign Office minister has urged Moscow generals to step in to stop Vladimir Putin’s ‘Tsarist fantasy’.
James Cleverly said military chiefs know the Russian president is increasingly ‘isolated’ and ‘illogical’ as he tries to ‘recreate a Russian Empire in his mind’.
And in a highly unusual step, he effectively appealed for them to stage a coup – saying ‘they are in a position to stop this and we call on them to do so’.
The extraordinary intervention came as ministers warned that Mr Putin looking increasingly unstable, after a bizarre address to the nation where he ranted at length about the Soviet Union’s history.
Defence Secretary Ben Wallace said yesterday that he appeared to have ‘gone Tonto’.
One Cabinet minister told MailOnline earlier this week that the Russian premier might have been playing too much ‘Call of Duty’.
James Cleverly (left) said military chiefs know Vladimir Putin (right) is increasingly ‘isolated’ and ‘illogical’ as he tries to ‘recreate a Russian Empire in his mind’
A column of army trucks passes a police post in the town of Armyansk, northern Crimea today
Boris Johnson today vowed to ‘hobble’ the Russian economy with a ‘massive’ package of sanctions as he insisted the West ‘will not look away’ from the invasion of Ukraine.
In speech from Downing Street, the PM said Vladimir Putin cannot be allowed to ‘snuff out’ freedom in Ukraine with an act of ‘wanton and reckless aggression.
He said Mr Putin had ‘unleashed war’ on the continent and the West must respond to ensure the eventual ‘failure’ of his offensive ‘diplomatically, politically, economically, and eventually, militarily’. In a hard message to Germany and Italy among others, Mr Johnson also called for countries to wean themselves off gas and oil supplies from Moscow.
‘Today, in concert with our allies we will agree a massive package of economic sanctions designed in time to hobble the Russian economy. And to that end, we must also collectively cease the dependence on Russian oil and gas that for too long has given Putin his grip on Western politics,’ he said.
‘Our mission is clear. Diplomatically, politically, economically, and eventually, militarily, this hideous and barbaric venture of Vladimir Putin must end in failure.’
During a round of interviews this morning, Mr Cleverly told Sky News: ‘Ukraine is not part of Russia. The fantasy that President Putin is trying to play out – creating some kind of Tsarist expansionist Russia – absolutely has to be stopped.
Boris Johnson today declared that Putin has ‘chosen a path of bloodshed and destruction’ in Ukraine after launching a ‘horrific attacks’ on its neighbour
Russia has invaded Ukraine from the north, south and east while firing in missiles all over the country
He added: ‘The military leaders around Vladimir Putin, they must know that this is a catastrophically bad judgment call by Vadimir Putin.
‘Ukraine is a huge country physically. I have no doubt the Ukrainian people will be ferocious in defence of their homelands.
‘The military leaders must know that this will come at a huge cost – not just to Ukrainians but to Russians.
‘They are in a position, even if Vladimir Putin won’t, they are in a position to stop this and we call on them to do so.’
Advertisement
