Dissatisfaction is growing in Russia: Expert names “greatest threat to Putin”

Created: 09/26/2022, 05:08

By: Richard Strobl

Former FSB chief Nikolai Patrushev and Vladimir Putin meet Shigeru Kitamura, Secretary General of Japan's National Security Council.

(Archive) © IMAGO / ITAR-TASS

In Russia, dissatisfaction with the Ukraine war is increasing.

Is Vladimir Putin still as firmly in the saddle as he was at the beginning of the war?

Moscow - Russia's Ukraine war has stalled.

Kiev's counter-offensive is currently causing Vladimir Putin in need of explanation in his own country.

Only recently did the Russian ruler even feel compelled to carry out partial mobilization.

In doing so, Russia's rulers are breaking a promise to the citizens.

And now there are said to be massive problems with the implementation of partial mobilization.

Both after the setbacks in the war and the problems related to recruitment, the wind is changing in Russia - at least a little.

Young Russians are protesting and some of the media are also denouncing abuses - especially in the area of ​​partial mobilization.

But is Putin really at risk of losing his power?

Expert Catherine Beltons has now given a partial answer to this.

Once Moscow correspondent for the

, she published her book, Putin's Net, in 2020, analyzing and tracing Vladimir Putin's rise to power.

, she sees Putin's

power currently weakened.

The elite, in their opinion, could be losing patience.

Russia's elite no longer fully supports Putin

After the successes at the beginning of the war, part of the Russian elite then backed Putin.

But with setbacks from Ukraine's counteroffensive, "that unity is beginning to crumble," according to Belton.

With the decision to partially mobilize, Putin has now broken his promise not to send reservists into the war.

This further undermines its popularity.

Belton reports on a Russian billionaire's assessment that an internal power struggle could even break out if Putin loses Donbass to Ukraine.

Ukraine setbacks for Russia: Putin probably relies on his closest advisers

In this situation, according to the expert, Putin continues to rely on the opinion of his closest advisors from the former KGB.

These are security guards with whom he had already worked closely in Saint Petersburg.

Belton cites Nikolai Patrushev as an example, whom she describes as “a kind of eminence grise behind the scenes”.

"He's telling Putin what to do: namely, that he must protect Russia's sovereignty and that the US is using Ukraine as a platform to threaten Russia," Belton told The

.

Patrushev was, among other things, head of the domestic secret service FSB from 1999 to 2008.

He is currently Secretary of the Security Council of the Russian Federation.

Vladimir Putin: The political career of the Russian head of state in pictures

View photo gallery

Patrushev is one of the so-called "silo arches" - an antonym for the oligarchs.

According to the expert, the latter no longer have any political power in Putin's Russia.

Putin's old KGB circles, on the other hand, have "monopolized" power, primarily by undermining the judicial system.

So you could threaten anyone with jail who could be dangerous to you.

This also applies to the oligarchs.

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But who could finally bring down Putin?

"The biggest threat to Putin comes from his own security services," Belton said.

There are younger members here who think more progressively.

They could recognize that Putin's path leads to international isolation and ultimately harms Russia.

Recently, a certain figure from Putin's power apparatus has even come into focus: Yevgeny Prigozhin.