Patrushev and Bortnikov initiated the war against Ukraine – The Times
Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine was initiated from the very beginning by Russian Security Council Secretary Nikolai Patrushev and FSB Director Alexander Bortnikov. It was they who convinced Vladimir Putin to solve the “Ukrainian issue”, The Times writes with reference to a source in the Russian government.
According to him, Putin’s inner circle made the final decision to attack in late summer 2021, and later they were able to convince the Kremlin dictator.
Patrushev and Bortnikov believed that there would be no better moment because of Putin’s advanced age. At the same time, the head of the Russian Defense Ministry Sergei Shoigu allegedly hesitated, so he just became a silent executor of orders.
The publication, referring to the story of Putin’s “family friend”, also writes that most of the oligarchs from the dictator’s entourage and even members of the Russian Security Council did not know about the plans for a full-scale invasion of Ukraine until the last moment. They learned about it only at the meeting on February 21.
