The total collapse and disintegration of Putin’s Russia has already begun, and the West must be ready to deal with the consequences, Zelenskyy’s top official predicts

The total collapse and disintegration of Vladimir Putin’s Russia has begun, and the West must prepare for the potentially catastrophic consequences, a senior official in Volodymyr Zelenskyy’s government has warned.

Oleksiy Danilov, secretary of Ukraine’s National Security and Defense Council, said the West must be on high alert because they were unprepared for the collapse of the Soviet Union in the past.

He said Kiev believes that Russia will fall apart in “spectacular” ways in the coming years.

But he warned that China has the upper hand over the Kremlin’s impending capitulation. He said that if the West allows China to take territory in Russia, a new serious problem will arise.

The senior Ukrainian official was speaking as Finland officially joined NATO today, securing its place in the western military alliance.

Oleksiy Danilov, the secretary of Ukraine’s National Security and Defense Council, said the West must be on high alert as they cannot prepare for the collapse of the Soviet Union.

In an interview with The Times, Danilov said: “The West does not know Russia and the West is afraid of Russia’s fragmentation. But that process is already underway.’

In recent months, the conflict has centered on the eastern town of Bakhmut, near the Donetsk region, with neither side making significant gains. In the international community, some of the focus has shifted to diplomacy, with Chinese President Xi Jinping visiting Moscow last month for a three-day summit with Putin.

The visit was an attempt by Moscow to demonstrate its close ties with Beijing to Western allies, especially the US. But Danilov believes that the visit simply showed the weakness of the Kremlin.

He said Russia has lost its hold on once-trusted allies in Asia, while China is now waiting for Russia to collapse to take the Siberian Far East, where there is a significant Chinese population.

“Allowing China to take over Russian territory becomes dangerous for the West, because by solving one problem, they create another,” Danilov told The Times. “First steps must now be taken by the West.”

Referring to the outcome of the summit, Danilov notes that China did not agree to supply weapons to Russia. And while the two leaders said last February, just before the Russian invasion, that the friendship between their countries was “borderless”, the closing statements of last month’s visits made no mention of it.

Danilov told The Times: “China is a wonderful country and will be a powerful competitor for the Anglo-Saxon world. Now Russia owns it. Without them, Russia will not take any major steps. Russia has completely lost its sovereignty. That’s fact.’

He said China acted in its own interest by refusing to join Western sanctions against Russian oil and gas purchases, and China’s hand was only strengthened as a result.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy speaks in front of a plaque outside a school in the village of Yahidne in the Chernihiv region on Monday.

Ukrainian soldiers fire a multiple missile system at Russian troops in the Donetsk region in February

Ukrainian soldiers take part in a military exercise on psychological warfare training in Ukraine last month

Danilov’s comments follow his announcement on Sunday outlining steps the government in Kiev will take after the country regains control of Crimea, including dismantling the strategic bridge linking the occupied Black Sea peninsula with Russia.

Danilov released the plan as the Ukrainian military prepares for a counteroffensive in the spring, hoping to make decisive gains to end the Russian invasion after more than 13 months of war.

Moscow annexed Crimea from Ukraine in 2014, but most of the world does not recognize it as Russian territory. The future status of the peninsula will be an important part of any negotiations to end the current fighting.

The Kremlin has demanded that Ukraine recognize Russian sovereignty over Crimea and recognize other Moscow gains as a condition of peace. Kiev has ruled out peace talks with Moscow until Russian troops vacate all occupied territories, including Crimea.

Danilov suggested that Ukrainians working for the Moscow-appointed government in Crimea be prosecuted, adding that some would be prosecuted and others would lose their state pensions and be barred from public employment.

All Russian citizens who moved to Crimea after 2014 must be deported and all real estate transactions made under Russian rule must be destroyed, Danilov wrote on Facebook.

As part of the plan, he also called for the dismantling of a 12-mile bridge Russia had built to Crimea. In October, a truck bomb badly damaged the bridge, the longest in Europe and a symbol of Moscow’s conquest of the peninsula.

Vladimir Putin shakes hands with Chinese President Xi Jinping during a signing ceremony following their talks at Moscow’s Kremlin last month

Last month, Xi visited Moscow for a three-day summit with Putin

Russia repaired the damaged section of the bridge and restored supplies to Crimea, which was a key hub for the Russian military during the war. Moscow blamed Ukrainian military intelligence for the attack. Kiev has not claimed responsibility, but Ukrainian officials have repeatedly threatened to attack the bridge in the past.

Danilov also argued for the renaming of the city of Sevastopol, which has been the main base of the Russian Black Sea Fleet since the 19th century. He said the object could be called No. 6 before Ukraine’s parliament chooses another name, suggesting Akhtiar after a village that once stood where the city is now.

Mikhail Razvozhayev, head of Sevastopol, who was appointed in Moscow, said of Danilov’s plan: “It would be wrong to take comments from sick people seriously. They need to be healed and our army is doing it now.”