This strikes me (and Daily Kos‘ Mark Sumner) as a big deal:
“Russia wants us to support them but we don’t recognize Crimea, or Donbas. Yes, we are in a union with Russia but it doesn’t apply to this situation. We won’t help Russia avoid US and EU sanctions.” – Deputy chair of the presidential administration in Kazakhstan. This is huge.
— Bakhti Nishanov (@b_nishanov) April 1, 2022
In the old days, such a declaration by a member of the Soviet Union would have resulted in the removal and imprisonment of the deputy chair, and probable execution, by agents of the Soviet Union.
Assuming it’s authentic, the fact that a government official is willing to tell Putin off suggests that Putin’s power is strictly limited, even in the horrific face of deliberately horrific carnage in Ukraine. It may indicate a complete withdrawal of Russian forces from Ukraine is imminent – whether Putin orders it or not.
