Dark forecast from Moscow: "The war will last another 20 years"

Andrey Bezrukov assessed that Russian society must accept the fact that the country is entering an era of prolonged conflict.

“We must recognize that in the coming years, perhaps even decades, we will be in a state of war,” Bezrukov said.

His statements come at a time when the St. Petersburg International Economic Forum was opened under the shadow of Ukrainian strikes on energy and military targets in the vicinity of the city.

The attacks took place while around 20,000 delegates from more than 130 countries gathered for the three-day event, often referred to as the “Russian Davos.”

Bezrukov believes that future conflicts will not necessarily involve only open warfare, but also what he called a “creeping war,” which could spread across different regions of the world and shape the lives of entire generations.

According to him, Russia is currently in the “first wave of a world war,” while a second phase of global confrontation could be comparable to the world wars of the 20th century. He pointed to Asia as a potential hotspot for future conflicts, claiming that global power relations are rapidly shifting.

He also repeated earlier Russian claims about alleged biological threats from the West, stating that laboratories near Russia’s borders are working on the development of future biological weapons. Western governments have long rejected such accusations as unfounded.

Bezrukov stressed that Russia must adapt its economy and state institutions to the new circumstances, including strengthening military readiness and long-term militarization alongside economic development.