Vladimir Putin's right-hand man warns war will 'continue throughout Europe' starting with this country

Ramzan Kadyrov, the President of Chechnya and a close ally of Vladimir Putin, has made some shocking remarks about Russia’s war in Ukraine in an interview with Chechen minister Akhmed Dudayev.

Russia will win war and 'the West will kneel'

While Kadyrov has never condemned Putin directly, he hasnot been afraid to criticise Russian military commanders and aspects of the war effort. Though now it seems, he has changed his tune.

In the interview, which was widely shared on Telegram and reported by news outlets such as Gazeta.ru, Kadyrov claimed that Russia would win the war which will be over by the end of 2023. He declared:

The special [military] operation will be over before the end of this year. European countries will admit they have been wrong, the West will kneel, and as usual, European states will have to cooperate in all areas with the Russian Federation. There will not be and must not be any other way.

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Threatening war in Poland and Europe

In a post on his Telegram channel on Monday 6 February, Kadyrov also threatened Poland due to its support of Ukraine. He speculated that after the war,

What if... Russia begins to denazify and demilitarize the next country? After all, after Ukraine, Poland is on the map! I will not hide that I personally have such an intention.

This echoes the Kremlin’s justification for the war, that it’s to 'denazify' Ukraine, a claim which has been rejected internationally. He continued:

I personally have such an intention, and I have repeatedly stated that the fight against Satanism should continue throughout Europe and, first of all, on the territory of Poland.

Kadyrov and his commanders have frequently labelled the conflict as a 'holy war' against the 'satanic' values of the West, a perspective which is sometimes reiterated on Russian state television.

Poland preparing

Poland has certainly anticipated such threats. On 4 February, the Polish ambassador to the U.S., Marek Magierowski, told NPR's Morning Edition:

Russia has always been our neighbor... It will not vanish miraculously in the foreseeable future. So we have to prepare... Poland might be the next target.

Sources used:

- Newsweek: 'Putin Ally Believes Ukraine War Will End Soon: 'The West Will Kneel''

- Daily Beast: 'Top Putin Ally Says He ‘Will Not Hide’ Intention to Invade Poland Anymore'

- NPR: 'Polish ambassador warns of a prolonged war in Ukraine, calls for more support'