EXCLUSIVE. Putin is under pressure on his most important holiday. Russia expert Joris Van Bladel: “I see increasingly clear cracks in the armor”

Russia celebrates its biggest holiday today. But is there anything to celebrate? The Kremlin hardly shows any heavy military equipment on Red Square, Putin is said to live in bunkers and economic pressure is increasing. “I see increasingly clear cracks in Putin’s armor,” says Russia expert Joris Van Bladel (59) of the Egmont Institute. “Economically, militarily, within the elite: pressure is steadily increasing on various fronts. And the Kremlin is increasingly unable to hide this.”

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