Russia is set to remain in a prolonged state of war and global confrontation for “a couple of decades,” according to Andrei Bezrukov, adviser to oil giant Rosneft chief Igor Sechin and a retired colonel of Russia’s Foreign Intelligence Service (SVR).
Speaking at the St. Petersburg International Economic Forum on Wednesday, Bezrukov said Russians should accept that the country is entering an era of prolonged conflict.
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“We must acknowledge that in the coming years, perhaps a couple of decades, we will be in a state of war,” he said Wednesday.
Russia’s flagship economic forum opened under a plume of thick black smoke on Wednesday after Ukrainian strikes hit energy and military sites in St. Petersburg, shattering the Kremlin’s showcase of economic resilience.
The long-range strikes hit just as roughly 20,000 delegates from 130 countries gathered for the three-day Kremlin’s premier annual business summit, often dubbed “Russia’s Davos.”
During a session titled “Main threats to Russia in the second quarter of the 21st century,” Bezrukov suggested that the conflict could range from “hot war” to what he described as a “creeping war” spreading across regions, shaping “two generations” that will effectively grow up during wartime.
Bezrukov claimed Russia is now at what he called “the first hump of a world war,” predicting a second wave of global confrontation comparable to the World Wars of the 20th century.
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He suggested future escalation could emerge in Asia, framing recent global crises as evidence of shifting power balances.
“The hegemon is no longer a hegemon,” he said, referring to the US, while predicting further clashes ahead.
He also revived claims of Western “biological warfare” against Russia, alleging that laboratories near Russia’s borders were working on future biological weapons – accusations long rejected by Western governments.
Bezrukov urged Moscow to restructure both its economy and state systems to prioritize long-term militarization and defense readiness alongside development.
A former Soviet intelligence officer who once operated undercover in the US under the identity Donald Heathfield, Bezrukov was arrested in 2010 by the FBI as part of a spy swap involving Russian “illegals.” He later returned to Russia with his family.
He now teaches at MGIMO and regularly lectures on geopolitics and Russia’s global role, promoting a vision of a long-term confrontation with the West.
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