In an interview with Komsomolskaya Pravda published on January 14, Mr. Patrushev - who led Russia's Security Council for more than a decade before taking up his current role last year - warned about Ukraine's uncertain future.
Mr Patrushev expressed deep concern about the situation in Ukraine, where he said "violence and radical anti-Russian sentiment" were destroying once-prosperous cities such as Kharkiv, Odessa, Nikolaev and Dnepropetrovsk.
“It is impossible to rule out the possibility that Ukraine will disintegrate this year,” Patrushev predicted, stressing that Russia still considers the Ukrainian people a “brotherly nation” and is worried about negative developments in the country.
Mr Patrushev also reaffirmed that Russia's objectives in its military campaign in Ukraine have not changed. He stressed that Russia's sovereignty over the former Ukrainian territories of Kherson, Zaporizhzhia, as well as the Donetsk and Lugansk republics, and Crimea, is "non-negotiable".
Moscow's big goal, according to Mr. Patrushev, is to gain international recognition for the annexation of these regions to Russia.
Mr Patrushev also ruled out the possibility of negotiations with other Western countries besides the US. He argued that the EU was no longer a unified force and could not represent the views of countries such as Hungary, Slovakia, Austria, and Romania - countries that are considered to maintain a more balanced stance towards Russia.
Mr Patrushev also mentioned Russia's respect for the statements of US President-elect Donald Trump. He hinted that Mr Trump had expressed a desire to end the conflict in Ukraine.
Last week, Mr Trump's pick for US national security adviser, Michael Waltz, said phone calls between Mr Trump and Russian President Vladimir Putin were expected to take place in the "coming days and weeks".
Mr Waltz said “preparations are underway” for the Trump-Putin meeting, but gave no estimate of when or where it might take place.
