JRL NEWSWATCH: “Ukraine invasion: Kremlin policy adviser reveals his shock over Vladimir Putin’s decision to invade” – Sky News
“Andrey Kortunov has been on the news defending the Kremlin’s actions in the past – but Russia’s invasion of Ukraine has left him wondering what his president was thinking.”
“… Kortunov is on a panel of foreign policy experts who advise the Kremlin. Their briefing papers would have been read by … Putin, but [Putin’s] more moderate counsel have been disregarded. [] Kortunov cannot comprehend [] Putin’s actions in Ukraine. … Putin has narrowed his group of advisers to a small clique of securocrats … siloviki, or strongmen … generals and spies. Those like [] Kortunov, who had advocated greater integration with the outside world and greater prosperity, have been shut out. … The implications are stark ….”