Former British Army chief Colonel Richard Kemp says the West should not rule out assassinating Vladimir Putin
- 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
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.
Colonel Richard Kemp a retired British Army officer (pictured), who was Commander of British Forces in Afghanistan, has said NATO should not rule out assassinating Putin
Ex-army Richard Kemp said assassinating Russian President Vladimir Putin (pictured) would not be setting a new precedent, as several other leaders such as Bin Laden have been killed before
‘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.’
American senator Lindsey Graham (pictured), said that if someone killed Putin they would be doing the world ‘a great service’
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.’
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