Jens Asbjørn Bøgen
“All of Putin’s friends are either already in heaven or in hell — likely in hell — or sitting in prison,” he said.
First Assad.
Then Maduro.
Now Ayatollah Khamenei.
Putin’s group of friends around the globe appears to be shrinking, as several other countries have also cut ties with the Kremlin leader.
And even though Putin remains firmly in power domestically, the disappearance of several Kremlin-aligned leaders is part of a broader trend.
A trend of Putin’s authority steadily falling apart.
Declining allies
Speaking about shifting geopolitical alliances on Estonia’s public broadcaster ERR, Estonia’s foreign minister, Margus Tsahkna, said he believes the group of regimes sympathetic to Moscow is steadily shrinking.
Among leaders who once maintained close ties with the Kremlin, Tsahkna said that some are “either already in heaven or in hell — likely in hell — or sitting in prison.”
He added that only a few governments still remain aligned with Russia. “North Korea remains; let’s say China too, maybe a few others. But generally, the point of this narrative, without any joking, is that Putin’s authority is falling apart,” Tsahkna said, as quoted by ERR.
The minister’s comments reflect growing debate in Europe about Russia’s global influence as the war in Ukraine and other international tensions continue.
Recent upheavals
Several political developments have recently affected governments that were seen as friendly to Moscow.
In Venezuela, Nicolás Maduro was removed from power and is now awaiting trial in a detention facility in New York.
Last weekend, Iran’s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei was killed in an airstrike during military operations.
Syria also saw a major shift last year when Bashar al-Assad lost power following military action that ended his rule.
Sources: ERR, Reuters
