'Terrible' post-Brexit scenario: Will Britain turn to President Putin?

Russian President Vladimir Putin and British Prime Minister Boris Johnson. Illustrative photo

The leading British business magazine Financial Times has just published a "terrifying" post-Brexit scenario: After leaving the European Union (EU), Britain will become "another Russia". To illustrate this bold hypothesis, the Financial Times also attached a photo of Russian President Vladimir Putin and British Prime Minister Boris Johnson with the title "Britain and Russia - a strange couple of Europe".

The article writes that for Russian readers, the idea of ​​London being Moscow on the Thames may seem strange, although the British capital is sometimes referred to as “Londongrad” (the suffix “grad” often appears in the names of some Russian cities), due to the large number of Russian businessmen who live and work there. The bold idea of ​​declaring Britain as a second version of Russia is seen as having a chance to become popular in the EU.

The Financial Times listed the similarities between Britain and Russia as follows: "Britain and Russia are located on the outskirts of the European continent. This leads to both countries having a dual identity - on the one hand, they are similar to other European countries, and at the same time they have a larger color. About 80% of Russia's territory is located in Asia, and the country has strong ties with North America, Australia, and South Asia. Therefore, it is not surprising that Britain and Russia will soon become two great powers, outside the EU.

Yet both Britain and Russia remain wary of the EU’s collective power. As peripheral states, they traditionally fear the emergence of a dominant force within Europe. This partly explains why Britain and Russia were allies in the Napoleonic Wars centuries ago and in World War II. Both countries have built their modern identities on heroic memories of victory in 1945.

The article further analyzes that, in the current context, the most important thing is that the EU does not accept, even a minimal chance, the emergence of "another Russia" and will thoroughly resolve this issue. However, "strangely, in the event of the most tense confrontation scenario between the EU and the UK, there is only one solution that can save the UK.

“The British elite will need to find their partner – President Vladimir Putin, the leader capable of restoring Russia's power after the geopolitical catastrophe of the 20th century,” the newspaper wrote.