Former Polish president, Lech Wałęsa, enraged Kremlin propagandists when he suggested in a recent interview for French TV that Russia should be downsized and thereby have its population reduced to around 50 million from the present 144 million in a breaking up of the Russian Federation.
He said that the political system needed to be changed in Russia and called for the nations of the Russian Federation to rise up against Putin. Wałęsa added that the West had made a great mistake in allowing Russia to remain in its present shape after the USSR broke up, having lost the Cold War.
The Russian state TV program “60 minutes” highlighted the remarks with one of the journalists comparing Wałęsa to a Nazi because, like Hitler, he wanted to reduce Russia’s population. Guests took up the topic, with one calling for a €5 million contract to be placed on Wałęsa’s head.
Lech Wałęsa’s son, Jarosław, who is a parliamentarian for the main opposition Civic Platform (PO), told Polish tabloid “Super Express” that he was concerned about his father’s safety and appealed to the ruling Law and Justice (PiS) to help with providing security for his father.
Jarosław Wałęsa said that threats made by Russia should be taken seriously.
“Putin is a murderer and terrorist. I know the ruling PiS have little sympathy for my father, but these are extraordinary times. I am calling for security to be stepped up around my father,” Jarosław Wałęsa said.
His father, on the other hand, did not seem to be bothered. He said that he was ready and willing to travel to Moscow to meet his critics, a journey the Polish Foreign Ministry is unlikely to advise he makes.
