Due to the situation on the front lines and the economic downturn: Disappointment with Putin is growing among the Russian elite
25 May 04:32
Dissatisfaction with dictator Vladimir Putin is growing within Russia’s highest echelons of power due to the war with Ukraine, mounting economic problems, and internet restrictions. Sources close to the Kremlin and European intelligence officials told The Guardian this, according to "Komersant Ukrainian".
“This year, the mood among the elite has definitely changed… there is deep disappointment in Putin,” said an influential businessman. According to him, “there is a growing sense of impending disaster.” “More and more people realize that completely senseless, self-destructive decisions continue to be made. Those who previously defended Putin are no longer doing so. The sense of a future has vanished,” he added.
The Russian president has no intention of ending the war, as he is convinced he will be able to fully capture Donbas by the end of the year, sources familiar with his position said.
“Putin is obsessed with Donbas and won’t stop until he gets it,” one of the publication’s sources said. At the same time, those close to the president warned that if Russia manages to break Ukraine’s resistance, Putin will go further and attempt to capture the remaining parts of the Zaporizhzhia and Kherson regions, which were annexed in 2022. “He is not a long-term strategist. His appetite grows as he eats,” said one of the sources.
At the same time, a source familiar with discussions in the Kremlin stated that Putin is receiving distorted information about what is happening on the front lines, where, according to the Pentagon, the Russian army has begun to suffer direct territorial losses.
“Of course, officials and military leaders paint a rosy picture for the president. They lie to him. That’s how the system Putin built works,” the source says. European intelligence confirms this, though they do not know to what extent the head of state is actually aware of the problems on the battlefield.
The elite’s anxiety is also intensifying amid rising inflation, tax hikes, and pressure on businesses. The arrest of billionaire Vadim Moshkovich, founder of the Rusagro agricultural holding, has caused particular concern. Nevertheless, the oligarchs are afraid to voice their disagreement with what is happening, although, according to a businessman interviewed by the publication, many are “deep down in their hearts terrified.”
“The business elite is playing Russian roulette. They hope their neighbor will suffer while they themselves are spared,” said banker Oleg Tinkov, who condemned the war and emigrated. “Who will stand up against him [Putin]? Everyone is just waiting for his death,” he added.
A high-ranking European intelligence official said that members of the Russian ruling elite “are currently in the process of realizing” the problems both on the battlefield and in the economy, but have no plans to address them.
Large-scale internet blockades and the growing influence of the FSB, which lobbies for such measures, are causing particular irritation among the elite. According to the publication’s sources, representatives of the Kremlin’s political bloc, including Dmitry Peskov and Sergei Kirienko, tried to convince the president to ease the restrictions, but to no avail. “As long as the war continues, Putin will prioritize the security services,” said a source close to the Kremlin. “Everyone talks about the internet at the dinner table. In this regard, we are currently on par with North Korea,” the source noted.
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