Top Russian security officials
think the war in Ukraine is “lost,” suggesting that Vladimir
Putin’s regime might be coming to an end, according to an expert on Russia-related
security threats.
The “informed elite”
within the security forces “understand that the war is lost,” said
Bellingcat’s lead Russia investigator Christo Grozev in an interview with Radio
Liberty, per Metro.
To have a chance of winning
the war, Grozev said, the Russian president would need full mobilization but
this would cause problems for him at home. Mass mobilization would lead to a
“social explosion” in Russia, Grozev added, according to Metro.
There are those in Putin’s
inner circle who may pressure him to use nuclear or chemical weapons, Grozev
continued, but others will say “enough is enough.” These people would
say “it is better not to waste another 10,000 lives of our soldiers and
officers,” Grozev said, per Metro.
Although the exact numbers are
unavailable,it is estimated that thousands of Russian servicemen have died in
the country’s brutal offensive on Ukraine. According to the UK defense
ministry, Russia has lost a third of its forces.
Western officials
say Russia, facing military setbacks, is losing momentum as the war in
Ukraine goes on.
Grozev said that security
officials with the FSB, who know how many Russian soldiers have died, think
Putin is losing his grip on power. ‘These are those parts of the security
forces who know the dangers for the regime, and they themselves are now
preparing their future,” he said, per Metro.
A number of officials from the
FSB and GRU are preparing for a post-Putin Russia, according to the expert.
“Some of them are looking for an opportunity to take their families out of
Russia,” Grozev said.
