A former Russian president has made some “humble” predictions for 2023 on behalf of his country, including oil prices doubling, a reverse Brexit, an American civil war and Elon Musk becoming US president.
Dmitry Medvedev, who is currently deputy chair of the Russian Security Council and served as Russian president from 2008-2012, set out his list of 10 wild predictions in social media threads on Telegram and Twitter on Monday.
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Topping Mr Medvedev’s list was a bleak oil price outlook from the largest exporter.
“Oil price will rise to $US150 [$A220] a barrel, and gas price will top $US5000 [$A7400] per 1000 cubic metres,” he said.
The forecast would almost double the current going rate of WTI crude at $US79.56 ($A118) per barrel.
Last week, the price of gas in Europe exceeded $US2100 per 1000 cubic metres in a world first.
Mr Medvedev also said Russia expects the UK to reverse Brexit and rejoin the European Union – which he predicted would cause the EU to collapse.
“The EU will collapse after the UK’s return; Euro will drop out of use as the former EU currency,” he said.
His predictions about Russia’s neighbours are wild – and the prognosis is incredibly bleak in the case of its primary adversary of 2022.
“Poland and Hungary will occupy western regions of the formerly existing Ukraine,” Mr Medvedev wrote.
“The Fourth Reich will be created, encompassing the territory of Germany and its satellites, i.e. Poland, the Baltic States, Czechia, Slovakia, the Kiev [sic] Republic, and other outcasts.
“War will break out between France and the Fourth Reich. Europe will be divided, Poland repartitioned in the process.”
Mainland Europe is not the only region the 57-year-old expected to be enveloped in division and war throughout 2023, with Ireland, the UK, the US, and Mexico included in the mix.
“Northern Ireland will separate from the UK and join the Republic of Ireland,” he said.
“Civil war will break out in the US, California and Texas becoming independent states as a result. Texas and Mexico will form an allied state.”
The Civil War fallout, the former Russian president predicts, will somehow result in billionaire Elon Musk as the new leader of the free world.
“Elon Musk will win the presidential election in a number of states which, after the new Civil War’s end, will have been given to the GOP,” Mr Medvedev said. He didn’t explain how that would happen considering the Tesla founder was not born in the US – a prerequisite to becoming president.
Not one to let a Twitter mention go unanswered, the tech billionaire responded: “Lol – remind me of this in one year.”
Finishing off the list of predictions, the wannabe Nostradamus said stock markets and financial activity would withdraw from the US and Europe, centralising in Asia.
“The Bretton Woods system of monetary management will collapse, leading to the IMF and World Bank crash,” Mr Medvedev said.
“Euro and dollar will stop circulating as the global reserve currencies. Digital fiat currencies [central bank digital currency] will be actively used instead.”
Musk, who later suggested he was “trolling” with his response, was roundly condemned for his response to the former Russian president’s dangerous predictions.
Medvedev was also slammed online.
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