A drone strike obliterated the home of Russian opposition leader Ilya Ponomarev near Kyiv in the early hours of Thursday morning.
Ponomarev and his wife survived the attack with minor injuries, but the incident has reminded the dangerous stakes for those who dare to oppose Vladimir Putin.
“This drone arrived without being intercepted, so at the location where it was programmed to arrive. So it was quite clear that it was meant to arrive at the targeted coordinates and that was my home,” Ponomarev told Express.co.uk.
Ponomarev, a former member of the Russian State Duma, has long been a thorn in the Kremlin’s side. He was the only deputy to vote against the annexation of Crimea in 2014, a bold move that forced him into exile.
He later settled in Ukraine, where he was granted citizenship in 2019. Following Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine in 2022, Ponomarev joined the Free Russia Legion, composed of political opponents of the Kremlin, former POWs, and Russian defectors.
In order to solve the Ukraine crisis and Russia’s dangerous ambitions, Ponomarev believes there is only one solution.
He explained: “I think we all need to understand that this war started in Moscow and must end in Moscow. Even with complete military liberation in Ukraine, it does not mean the end of the war.
“While Putin is alive, the war will continue. The only way to dismantle the war is to dismantle Putinism.”
Drawing historical parallels, he cautioned against appeasement, likening Putin to Hitler and warning that any ceasefire in Ukraine could lead to further conflicts involving NATO.
In January 2023, Moscow labeled Ponomarev a terrorist and extremist, and subsequently charged him with treason. Despite these escalating threats, he continues to be a vocal critic of Putin and a pivotal figure in the opposition movement.
“There are different reasons for organising certain attacks. One reason is retaliation and revenge, an act of terror to scare others. Another would be to achieve certain objectives, either to prevent something from happening or further a business interest.
“I believe that in our case, Putin understands the potential for the product that we are doing. We offer a legitimate political alternative,” he explained.
