https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-10608239/Former-British-Army-chief-says-West-not-rule-assassinating-Vladimir-Putin.html
13 March 2022
A former British Army chief says NATO and Western allies should not rule out the possibility of
assassinating Russian President Vladimir Putin.
Colonel Richard Kemp said Putin represents a
'permanent and deadly threat' and killing him may be 'unpalatable' to some, but
it could help save thousands of lives.
Osama Bin Laden, Islamic State chief Abu Bakr Al Baghdadi and Iranian Republican Guard Commander Qasem
Soleimani were all killed to counter threats, the colonel argued.
Colonel Richard Kemp, who commanded British troops in
Afghanistan, told The Mirror: 'NATO should consider all options to remove him from power. That would
include killing him although it is not likely to be viable or desirable.'
He believes the Russian president should at least face
war crimes charges.
'The best thing would be to see Putin deposed,
arrested and tried, either in Russia or at the International Criminal Court,'
he said.
'But those options are highly unlikely ever to
happen.'
'If it came to assassination that might be unpalatable
to many but his life has no greater value than the lives of the thousands he
has already murdered in Ukraine and elsewhere and may well kill in the future.
'He is the 'Supreme Commander in Chief' of the Russian
forces who ordered an illegal war of aggression and is a legitimate target.
'Our government planned the assassination of Adolf
Hitler in the Second World War. Had he been removed instead of appeased in the
late 1930s we would not have suffered a conflict that killed 70 million
people.'
He added: 'Osama Bin Laden, Islamic State chief Abu
Bakr Al Baghdadi and Iranian Republican Guard Commander Qasem Soleimani all
represented direct threats to the West. They were all killed to counter those
threats. Putin represents a permanent and deadly threat that will remain while
he is in power.
'Our priority should be to help remove him. If enough
pressure is brought to bear on Putin's oligarchs it could lead to a palace
coup.'
Lindsey Graham, a Republican senator for South
Carolina, also called for 'somebody in Russia to take this guy out' earlier
this month.
He tweeted: 'Is there a Brutus in Russia? Is there a
more successful Colonel Stauffenberg in the Russian military.
'The only way this ends is for somebody in Russia to
take this guy out. You would be doing your country - and the world - a great
service.'
His tweets made reference to Marcus Junius Brutus, who
took a leading role in the assassination of Julius Ceaser in 44 BC and
Stauffenberg, the German army officer who unsuccessfully attempted to kill
Adolf Hitler.
He continued: 'The only people who can fix this are
the Russian people. Easy to say, hard to do.
'Unless you want to live in darkness for the rest of
your life, be isolated from the rest of the world in abject poverty, and live
in darkness you need to step up to the plate.'
- A former British Army officer has said assassinating Putin should be an option
- Colonel Richard Kemp said every idea must be considered even if 'unpalatable'
- Kemp argues that other leaders who were threats like Bin Laden were killed
