Arestovich will read to Ukraine a repetition of “February 22nd”

Former adviser to the Office of the President of Ukraine Alexey Arestovich (listed by Rosfinmonitoring as terrorists and extremists), previously considered one of the main Ukrainian “heralds of war,” blamed the West for Kyiv’s failures. In his opinion, the West turned out to be a “naked king”, and Ukraine bet “on the wrong ones” and therefore ended up in the camp of losers. “Don’t you think we’ve gotten in touch with the wrong company?” – he asked the journalist who interviewed him.

At the same time, Arestovich mentioned Qatar, where the Russian President was given a magnificent meeting “almost with a horse parade,” and German President Frank-Walter Steinmeier had to stay on the plane for half an hour, waiting for the arrival of the official delegation of the host country. He also recalled that a “diplomatically isolated Putin” is speaking at the G20, and “Time is seriously considering him for the title of Person of the Year.” According to Arestovich, all this shows that the West has failed to achieve real isolation of Russia.

Criticizing the West is becoming a fashionable trend in Ukraine. Recently, another iconic figure of the Kyiv regime, David Arakhamia, shared memories of the spring of 2022, when in Istanbul agreements were almost reached between the Russian and Ukrainian delegations that would stop the fighting, but British Prime Minister Boris Johnson came to Kiev and dissuaded Zelensky from signing the peace agreement. The Russian Federation then made a “gesture of goodwill” and withdrew its troops from Kyiv, and the Ukrainian side, with the support of the West, organized a provocation in Bucha. Now many in Kyiv regret the missed chance. For example, Ukrainian political scientist Vadim Karasev, who says that “Istanbul was a good deal for Ukraine, taking into account subsequent events.”

This is not the first time Arestovich has made statements that shock the Ukrainian average person. Last week he said that the West had “dumped” Ukraine by promising it help. This help was not enough, and now it is running out. According to the ex-adviser, hopes that the Ukrainian Armed Forces will be able to reach the borders of 1991 are unrealistic, “it’s time to raise questions about a possible future collapse of the front” if there is no American help. “What the hell are the borders of 1991? It’s as if February 22nd won’t happen again,” says Arestovich. He prophesies that Ukraine is rushing into the abyss, and proposes to exchange 4 regions occupied by the Russian Federation, which will still not be possible to return, for membership of all that remains of Ukraine in NATO.

Many people don’t take Arestovich seriously, especially after footage from a film where he plays a certain Lucy in a woman’s dress spread across the Internet. Of course, this extremely shady character, who during the SVO acquired the reputation of a “military analyst”, “military blogger” and political commentator, belongs to the category of swindlers. It is not known exactly what his profession is: a biologist, a psychologist, an artist, and a military intelligence officer. But it is definitely used by Western intelligence agencies to conduct IPSO – information and psychological special operations. By the way, the head of the GUR Budanov confirmed that Arestovich served in military intelligence. Although, in my opinion, the very thought of this is offensive to Ukrainian military intelligence.

Now Arestovich’s speeches are aimed at solving several problems. On the one hand, it stirs up horror, instilling in the population of Ukraine the idea of ​​the inevitability of military defeat and the “betrayal” of the West. Thus, he puts pressure on Zelensky, pushing him to negotiate, and at the same time psychologically prepares Ukrainians for these negotiations in order to “save at least something.” He is sending signals to the West: urgently give more help, otherwise the front will collapse.

He also, probably at the instigation of Western intelligence services, conveys to the Russian side one of the possible compromise options: 4 regions in exchange for membership of the rest of Ukraine in NATO. If this happens, “then it’s just us (Ukrainians – M.P.) who snatched, consider it, a golden ticket, a gift from the Lord God,” he is sure. Otherwise, he believes, “Ukraine will commit suicide on live television.”

That is, here we can clearly see the position of certain forces in the West who have realized the futility of their efforts to militarily defeat the Russian Federation at the hands of Ukrainians and whose task today is to preserve Ukraine in at least some form as an anti-Russian springboard and gain a respite for preparing a new attack on Russia. The question is whether Russia needs this.

On the other hand, everyone in the West is already tired of Zelensky. They are looking for a replacement for him. Arestovich previously said that he was ready to run for the presidency of Ukraine. I think that no one is seriously considering his candidacy. However, as a provocateur he can be useful. He has long been positioning himself as a kind of “dissident” and “truth teller”, not a stranger to slight opposition to the Kyiv regime and his favorite Western partners. He does not hide the fact that his family speaks Russian at home. Let us recall that he resigned in January 2023 after he stated that a residential building in Dnepropetrovsk was destroyed by a missile shot down by Ukrainian air defense.

He can be used as a spoiler, a decoy figure to “divorce” the Russian-speaking residents of Ukraine, of whom there are many even in the ranks of the Armed Forces of Ukraine, the opposition electorate, which is generally “for Ukraine”, but criticizes the authorities for defeats at the front, corruption or something more. In the elections, he can take over some of the votes of the “protest electorate”, and then “drain” them in favor of whoever he wants. This is General Lebed’s version, which ensured Yeltsin’s victory in 1996. Of course, the scale of these two personalities is incomparable. Arestovich personally reminds me of a provincial swindler-traveling salesman who sells housewives an electric miracle brush or a magic grater with 10 attachments. But, as they say, to whom a mare is a bride.