Vladimir Putin has been “panicking” over the prospect that Russian people could overthrow his authoritarian government, Boris Johnson said as Russia’s invasion of Ukraine continues.
This has been a factor in the Russian president’s decision to launch the invasion, the PM said, adding that Putin has feared that civilians would demand the free press and free elections that Ukraine has.
Putin has been terrified that a Russian revolution would follow those seen in Georgia and Ukraine in the early 2000s, Mr Johnson told the Conservative Party spring conference.
Meanwhile, Russia has admitted to firing hypersonic weapons to destroy a missiles and weapons depot in western Ukraine.
The “dagger” missiles, that can evade defence systems, were deployed for the first time during Russia’s invasion to target the underground storage site in the Ivano-Frankivsk region – an official said.
Igor Konashenkov, a Russian defence ministry spokesman, has confirmed at a briefing that the Kinzhal missiles had hit the site – but Reuters news agency said it was not able to independently verify his statements.
