A FORMER spy who trained at the same KGB school as Vladimir Putin says the tyrant has no reason to stop wreaking havoc on the world.
Sergei Jirnov, who worked for Russia‘s secret service for seven years, told The Sun that Europe must “crush” Putin’s regime “like a bug”.
SuppliedSergei Jirnov worked for the KGB for seven years – joining the same year as Putin[/caption]
SuppliedJirnov’s ID from his time in the KGB[/caption]
APPutin speaks to students as he visits a university in Moscow[/caption]
Born in 1961 in Moscow, Jirnov joined the KGB in 1984 – before he was forced into exile in France in 2001 where he became a refugee.
Like Putin, he is an alumnus of the Red Flag Institute – a secret KGB school that trains the intelligence elite.
And Jirnov had met Putin four years earlier while he was a volunteer at the Moscow Olympic Games – and learned how his twisted mind operated.
He was interrogated by the Russian dictator after he spoke on the phone to a French citizen requesting information about the sporting event.
Putin suspected Jirnov was a spy for France – and grilled him about his connections.
With unique insight into how Vlad operates, Jirnov warned that the tyrant has no reason to stop his Ukraine invasion as it grinds on for a third year.
He told The Sun: “No Western country has responded to his attacks with attacks.
“Western Europe is in a defensive position. And I would say not just defensive, but almost passive.
“Europe only reacts to its attacks and takes diplomatic steps, applies international pressure, but does not really respond to Russia.
“And so Russia says, ‘if that’s the way it is, I’ll carry on’.
“Europe must not be passive anymore.”
Jirnov said the Russian leader took a “strange pleasure” during his interrogation in 1980 before he joined the KGB.
Putin thought he had caught him out when he referenced a banned book, Jirnov said.
But the former spy said he had been gifted the book by the family of Leonid Brejnev – leaving fearful Putin with no choice but to let him go or risk the wrath of Soviet leadership.
Jirnov said Putin was a “jealous” KGB officer who “adored power“.
“In 1980, Putin was a person who adored power,” he said.
“When he interrogated me, I felt a strange pleasure of him. He had a sadistic pleasure when interrogating people.
“I also felt a jealousy from him regarding the persons who are better than him. And this jealousy increased over the years.”
Revealing the inner workings of his mind, Jirnov said Putin thinks of himself as a god – and wants to “become eternal”.
This, he said, has made the dictator a sociopath with no empathy.
Jirnov believes Putin could face the same fate as Romanian dictator Nicolae Ceaușescu – who was overthrown and executed by a firing squad in a revolution in 1989.
“I think Putin is the person the most detested by the Russian elites, because the war he started will be lost,” the former spy said.
“And this war has brought huge losses for Russia.
“The removal from power of Putin is the only solution, although it actually seems impossible.
“But remember that the removal of the Romanian dictator Ceausescu also seemed impossible until 1989.
“I think Putin could have the same fate as Nicolae Ceausescu.
“When Russia loses the war, the country will dismantle like the Soviet Union.”
The former KGB spy met Putin for the final time in 1990, while he was on mission accompanying the French composer Pierre Boulez.
The two met at a reception – but Putin did not speak to him.
Putin’s next target?
By Georgie English, Foreign News Reporter
RUSSIA will target Poland and the Baltics if they continue to feel threatened by Nato, Vladimir Putin’s top spy chief has warned.
Sergei Naryshkin, Director of the Russian Foreign Intelligence Service, blamed “provocateur countries” for edging Europe closer to an all-out conflict with the Kremlin.
Naryshkin claimed in a snarling statement that Poland and the Baltics are yet to fully understand what a conflict between Nato and Russia will truly mean for them.
He announced: “In the event of aggression by the North Atlantic Alliance against the Union State, the damage will be done, of course, to the entire Nato bloc.
“But to a greater extent, the first to suffer will be the carriers of such ideas among the political circles of Poland and the Baltic countries.”
Naryshkin also accused Poland and the Baltic states for being “highly aggressive” through their comments and “rattling their weapons”.
One particular incident he referred to was Warsaw’s alleged plan to deploy up to two million anti-tank mines along its borders with Belarus and Russia’s Kaliningrad region.
This would be done to protect Poland from any potential joint Russian and Belarusian invasion threat, according to the state-run news agency BelTA.
Latvia is also said to be “looking into all possible options” to help strengthen its deterrence and defense capabilities”, according toLatvian Defence Minister Andris Sprūds.
Sprūds called on the Baltic nation to “prepare as Russia continues to pose a serious threat to the region”.
Many of the Baltics are even building a joint defence line on their border with Russia that will have some six-hundred bunkers.
SuppliedJirnov was once interrogated by Putin – who suspected he was a spy for France[/caption]
SuppliedThe former spy fled to France in 2001, where he currently lives[/caption]
A Stasi ID pass used by Putin when he was a Soviet spy in former East Germany Published: [#item_custom_pubDate]
