The common warning not to 'corner a rat' because it will be dangerous is misapplied to Putin; the difference is allowing the rat to flee when it has nothing left but death, at which point it will stop and keep quiet rather than continue fighting; releasing Putin before he is cornered allows him to regroup and return.
causalpending
Speaker
Mikhail KhodorkovskyEvidence Quote
“often I'd use this example of Putin's words about a cornered rat um people say don't Korna Putin because if he has his back against the wall he's going to be dangerous foreign but there is a difference between corn ring a rat and allowing this rat to drink your blood is perhaps it's okay releasing the rat at the moment when it feels that it has nothing else but flee to its hole and keep quiet”
Source
How The West Can Stop Putin, with Exiled Critic Mikhail Khodorkovsky | Intelligence Squared— Intelligence SquaredCreated: 8/10/2026, 10:56:34 PM
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