Chilling signs Putin’s inner circle are moving close to knifing him in coup as they openly turn on him to slam invasion
AS Putin's seven-month war rapidly unravels, there are signs his inner circle are close to crushing him in a coup as they openly turn on the tyrant.
The Russian president is reportedly terrified of the possibility that he could be ousted and killed as murmurs of growing discontent emerge among the Russian elite.
Putin's army has experienced a string of humiliating defeats on the battlefield as the fierce Ukrainian counterblitz crushes his struggling troops.
Russian soldiers have been throwing down their weapons and fleeing in the face of the counteroffensive, abandoning swathes of territory they had earlier seized.
Ukraine's men have made significant gains in the city of Kherson - the only provincial capital captured since February 24 that is still under Russian control.
And a today there was a massive blow to Vlad, with an explosion collapsing part of the bridge Putin built between Russia and annexed Crimea.
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A US official even revealed Ukraine could retake Crimea - annexed by Russia in 2014 - if it continues to retake territory at this astonishing pace.
Russia's desperate war-mad leader is still clinging to power, ranting furiously about the West in rambling speeches and wildly swinging his nuclear sabre.
Yet the extraordinary losses have not gone unnoticed by furious Kremlin officials - and there are chilling signs Putin's closest allies are turning on him.
The number of people Putin counts as close aides and trusted advisers is small and made up mostly of allies from his days as a KGB officer.
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But the unquestioning loyalty he's enjoyed for the last 22 years among his top ranks might be slipping as the Ukraine war starts to go disastrously wrong for Moscow.
US intelligence briefing
According to US intelligence sources, a disgruntled member of Putin's inner circle has voiced disagreement over the handling of his shambolic Ukraine war.
In the clearest sign yet of growing turmoil within Russia's top ranks, the Putin ally reportedly raised woes with the mismanagement of the war effort and mistakes made by military chiefs.
The information was deemed so serious it was reportedly included in Biden’s daily intelligence briefing, reports.
A Western intelligence official said: "Since the start of the occupation we have witnessed growing alarm from a number of Putin’s inner circle.
"Our assessments suggest they are particularly exercised by recent Russian losses, misguided direction and extensive military shortcomings."
A second senior Western official said the simmering tensions are "consistent with the way in which the campaign has gone for the Russians, and the atmospherics in the Kremlin".
"There are a lot of people who are convinced this isn’t going well or the right course of action," they added.
'Disagreements' in government
In an unmistakable admission of growing discontent, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said there have been "disagreements" in the top ranks over the state of the shambolic invasion.
Peskov told The Washington Post: "There is disagreement over such moments. Some think we should act differently. But this is all part of the usual working process."
He added: "There are working arguments: about the economy, about the conduct of the military operation.
"There are arguments about the education system. This is part of the normal working process, and it is not a sign of any split."
But Peskov said the US intelligence briefing about an individual in Putin’s inner circle directly challenging him was "absolutely not true".
Yet cracks started to appear last week when it came down to military strategy.
Ramzan Kadyrov, leader of the Chechnya region, called for more "drastic measures" to be taken after Putin pulled his soldiers out of the city of Lyman.
In a chilling message, he wrote: "In my personal opinion, more drastic measures should be taken, right up to the declaration of martial law in the border areas and the use of low-yield nuclear weapons."
Two days later, Peskov insisted Russia's military approach should not be driven by emotions, appearing to disagree with Kadyrov's brazen comments.
"Even in difficult moments, emotions should be kept out of any kind of assessment," he said. "So we prefer to stick to balanced, objective assessments."
Putin's goons turn on each other
As tensions boil over, Putin's furious puppets have urged Russia's defence minister to kill himself.
General Sergei Shoigu came under fire after experiencing a series of defeats on the battlefield and displaying a sluggish strategy.
Putin has appointed Kirill Stremousov as head of the so-called Kherson People's Republic - and he used his new platform to slam General Shoigu's failures.
Stremousov fumed: "Indeed, many people say that if they were the minister of defence, who brought things to this state of affairs, they would shoot themselves, if they were real officers.
"But you know what, the word ‘officer’ is not familiar for some people."
The character assassination of the military chief suggests Putin's goons are crumbling under the pressure of Ukraine's successes - and could turn on other top ranking officials, including Putin.
In the wake of several embarrassing retreats, Stremousov turned the attention to military top brass, describing them as "useless and corrupt generals and looters".
Kadyrov, head of Russia’s Chechen Republic, has also lashed out at a top general in recent days and said he should be demoted to private.
Yevgeniy Prigozhin, a longtime Putin ally, agreed with Kadyrov and described Russian military leaders as "pieces of garbage".
Slammed by state media
State media figures - usually the loyal mouthpiece of Russia - have also condemned the handling of the war.
The series of embarrassing military losses in recent weeks has presented a challenge for hosts of Russian news shows struggling to find ways to paint Ukraine’s gains in a way that's favourable to the Kremlin.
And frustration over the battlefield setbacks is now spilling out on state TV broadcasts and in the pages of government-backed newspapers.
Vladimir Solovyov, one of the most prominent Russian talk show hosts, said: "Please explain to me what the general staff's genius idea is now?"
"Do you think time is on our side? They have hugely increased their amount of weapons," he said of Ukrainian forces.
"But what have you done in that time?"
Putin’s media allies dropped the niceties and directly criticised his military after Ukraine recaptured Lyman - a city in the east used as a logistics and transport hub by Russian troops - last weekend.
We have to stop lying. Our people aren't stupid
Andrey Kartapolov
On Solovyov's show last Sunday, he fumed: “What happened on Saturday, Lyman – it is a serious challenge for us.
"We need to pull it together, make unpopular, but necessary decisions and act."
And during an online popular talk show, Andrey Kartapolov, the head of Russia's State Duma Defense Committee, said: "We have to stop lying."
"Our people aren't stupid," the former general said, according to Bloomberg.
Washington-based Institute for the Study of War said: "The Russian defeat in Kharkiv and Lyman, combined with the Kremlin’s failure to conduct partial mobilization effectively and fairly are fundamentally changing the Russian information space."
Vlad has tried to frame some of his failures as victories in the war in Ukraine, claiming ownership of four Ukrainian regions even as Kyiv's forces continue their storming advance.
But claiming these areas as officially part of Russia opens the door to potentially more dangerous escalations - and feeds fears a desperate, cornered Putin could try to turn the war nuclear.
Keir Giles, a senior consulting fellow of the Russia from Chatham House, believes Putin's future is in the balance and tied to Ukraine.
And he said that the Russian leader seems to be becoming increasingly detached from reality.
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"They can either cling to the sinking ship as Putin goes down - because that’s the system that’s given them their wealth and security," he said.
"Or, they can leap for the lifeboat and salvage something of Russia’s future because they may have realised by now that Russia doesn’t have a future without the West."
