OP-ED

Thoughts on pending invasion: Ukraine and Russia

By JOHN MIGLIACCIO
Posted 2/15/22

By JOHN MIGLIACCIO Thoughts on pending invasion of Ukraine by Russia's Putin from discussions with Dr. Sergei Khrushchev, who was a friend who lived in Garden City, Cranston, RI while a Sr. Fellow, "Watson Institute, for Foreign Policy Development"

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OP-ED

Thoughts on pending invasion: Ukraine and Russia

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Thoughts on pending invasion of Ukraine by Russia’s Putin from discussions with Dr. Sergei Khrushchev, who was a friend who lived in Garden City, Cranston, RI while a Sr. Fellow, “Watson Institute, for Foreign Policy Development” Brown University  

I was a history major some years ago at Colgate University with a focus on Russia. I had the good fortune to buy a home in Edgewood section of Cranston, Rhode Island, in 1967 and together with my wife raised three wonderful children and began my practice of law in RI.   By chance, Dr. Sergei Khrushchev – Russian leader Nikita Khrushchev’s son – also moved to Cranston buying a home in Garden City when he was offered a position at Brown’s Watson Institute for Foreign Policy Development.  

Janet Hartman, a friend who was in the real estate profession, had handled the sale to Khrushchev of a home in the Garden City section of Cranston. I met her one morning at the bagel deli in Pawtuxet when she asked if I would like to meet Khrushchev? My response was an immediate…”YES!” I couldn’t wait to meet him due to my interest in history especially Russian U.S. History.  

Never in my wildest imagination did I expect to become close to Khrushchev, travel many times to Ukraine and Russia to represent him there to meet with many of his friends and colleagues there including representing him at the 75th anniversary of the famous once secretive Paton Institute in Kyiv, Ukraine.  

Over many years and many vodkas, our discussions often turned to Russia, the U.S. and world politics. I had a front row seat to extraordinary references and incites to matters he had lived through in Russia, and I had lived through in the U.S. Incredible times I shall never forget.  

In the late summer of 1999, I was with Khrushchev when a radio announcer interrupted music programming and stated that Russia’s ailing President Boris Yeltsin had retired and appointed a man named Vladimir Putin as Acting President of the Russian Federation. 

I had not heard the name “Putin.” I looked over at Khrushchev and asked: “Who’s Putin?”

Khrushchev was silent for a moment then looked over at me. In his heavily Russian accented voice he said, “Not good news for the USA. Get ready for long and dangerous times ahead.” There was silence as we both listened to the news report that began to give some sketchy bits of information about Putin. Khrushchev abruptly snapped the radio off and began to talk in a rapid almost stream of conscious and serious way that I had learned since meeting him meant, “don’t interrupt…listen well.”

He then rattled off what Putin would do as the new Russian leader.

“Putin understands power and how to use it, he’s KGB all the way, he will extend his leadership indefinitely, he will reverse most all political reforms, he will surround the Kremlin with his closest and strongest allies and he will make them and himself very wealthy. He will begin the long process of reconstructing the former Soviet Union country by country with subterfuge and money or, if necessary with raw military power, he will politicize Russia’s enormous oil and gas reserves to make Europe beholden to Russia for survival. He is a reckless and driven man who will definitely, once in full political control, try to create stress in the U.S. political system in every way possible to keep America of balance. He will play to the Russian people who want strong leaders who can return Russia to its leadership position. He will expand the Russian military extensively, especially the missile program and the Russian Navy, establishing bases that reach worldwide. He will enhance very close ties to China and begin to support autocrats worldwide with money, oil and weapons especially in the Middle East and Latin America. He will seek out alliances formal and informal in South America, ever closer to the U.S., much like my father did with Castro in Cuba.”  

Khrushchev stopped talking, looked at me and said, “I Iike you John and I love America, but sadly your political system is not setup to confront the likes of Vladimir Putin. If he manages to become fully entrenched, and I think that will happen, the U.S. and the West will be hard pressed to cope with his expansion agenda as the West is so leaderless…he will seek to control you and bury you….all of you”  

Khrushchev stopped talking, turned the radio back on, closed his eyes and put his head back, almost in a trance, listening to the classical music he so liked. We did not speak again till reaching the UN where the cabal of delegates, event speakers and reporters pressed Khrushchev with an avalanche of questions about Putin. Whatever the subject of the day was at the UN it became secondary to “Who is Vladimir Putin?” 

I loved being close to Sergei Khrushchev. His many numerous books provide extraordinary access to Russia and Russian thinking in a world context. Sadly, Khrushchev is no longer with us as he committed suicide June 18, 2020,at his home in Cranston, Rhode Island, just two weeks before his 85th birthday. Rhode Island Medical examiner’s office listed “gunshot wound to the head” as cause of death.  

John E. Migliaccio, JD is a Rhode Island attorney and author, graduate of Colgate University and Boston University School of Law. He was a career prosecutor and international traveler representing a number of clients in Russia and Ukraine. He was instrumental with former Dean Harry Knickle and others in forming an International Technology Incubator at the College of Engineering, University of Rhode Island that reviewed technology from Ukraine and Russian Institutes for commercialization. He can be reached at cell # 401-255-1902 (Text preferred) or Email johnmig2020@gmail.com.

Ukraine, Russia, invasion

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