(PatriotWise.com) — Vladimir Putin is not as secure as he was before he invaded Ukraine, a Western official has said. As the one-year anniversary of the war approaches, the official said that some among the Moscow elite are concerned that the war will drag on and cost ever more lives and resources. On condition of anonymity, the official told reporters that people are discussing regime change in Moscow in a way that would have been unthinkable a year ago. He added however that there is no clear path to change.
Nevertheless, Russian officials say Putin remains safe in power despite these concerns. Part of the reason for this is the lack of a legitimate challenger to the long-serving President.
Putin reportedly saw the war in Ukraine as an opportunity to stand up to the West and reassert Russian power on the global stage. He thought he would win the war quickly, said a source close to Moscow, who has also remained anonymous. The same source claimed that it will become ever more difficult for Putin as the war drags on.
Igor Girkin, ex-commander of pro-Russian troops in east Ukraine, said, “We have a completely incapable leadership formed directly by a president who is unchangeable and to whom there is no alternative. But a change of president would lead to a swift catastrophe.”
Since the Russian invasion on February 24th, 2022, the country has been subjected to widespread sanctions by the West and has lost a host of investors while Western companies have withdrawn. It has also lost a large chunk of its European gas market. Militarily, it has suffered humiliating defeats at the hands of its much smaller neighbor, partly due to the staunch support of Western powers including the United States and most European nations. The US has given Ukraine more than $100 billion dollars and President Biden promised that America would not waver in its support when he visited the Ukrainian capital Kyiv in February.
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