By Robert Becker and Christopher Buhl
This news only caused horror in Russia on Sunday: Maxim Fomin (40, pseudonym Vladlen Tatarsky), Russian war blogger and propaganda henchman of Vladimir Putin (70), was killed in a bomb attack in a St. Petersburg café.
Militarily things are not going well for Moscow either: The winter offensive faileddespite months of attacks, the Russians were barely able to capture areas in the Ukraine.
Now the statements of an ex-US secret service agent raise new dark clouds over Russia’s power apparatus!
Former CIA counterintelligence chief James Olson told Britain’s The Sun: “It’s not going well for Russia at all. I believe that Putin is in a hopeless situation. I believe there is a strong undercurrent of opposition to Putin in the military, in the intelligence services and among the oligarchs.”
In fact, voices against the Kremlin tyrant and his military leadership have been increasing in recent months. For example, from ally Armenia: Gagik Melkonyan, deputy of the Armenian National Assembly and member of the ruling party, warned: “If Putin comes to Armenia, he should be arrested.” And further: “Putin should better stay in his own country.”
Armenia not only maintains the closest diplomatic, economic and military relations with Russia, but is even a member of Russia’s anti-NATO alliance: the “Collective Security Treaty Organization” (CSTO).
Olson: Putin will be overthrown – or killed
Ex-CIA man Olson says the tyrant’s future appears to depend on his success or failure in Ukraine. And: If Putin stays in power, he will never give up the war. Therefore there is only one possibility to end it: the death or the overthrow of the dictator.
Olson: “If Putin stays in power, there will be a long war because he will not give up. But I don’t think Putin will remain in power. I believe it will be removed.”
Putin “miscalculated” on the attack on Ukraine: he overestimated the power of the military and the effectiveness of its leadership. When he invaded Ukraine in February 2022, he foolishly believed his troops would be welcomed as liberators.
Instead, however, the first attack ended in disaster, with large parts of his troops being destroyed or thrown back. Putin is now under enormous pressure internally to achieve something in Ukraine.
Is war also threatening in other countries?
Meanwhile, according to Olson, Russia is suffering from the war – and also from the sanctions. He explains: “I think that Putin will be killed. I wouldn’t rule out an assassination. And that would be the end of the war. Because the Russian people are suffering. Putin is bleeding Russia dry and he can’t do that forever.”
Should things turn out differently, however, Olson warns of an escalation of the war: There would then be an “extreme risk” that Russia would go to war against other countries.