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A bomb attack in the middle of his hometown of Saint Petersburg, a failed winter offensive in Ukraine, a former close friend who wants to place himself as his successor and an international arrest warrant: things don’t look rosy for Russian President Vladimir Putin (70).
“Russia is not doing well at all,” former CIA counterintelligence chief James Olson told British tabloid The Sun. He sees Putin in a hopeless situation. And: he assumes that the president’s days are numbered – one way or another.
A lot of headwind for Putin
The ruler of the Kremlin is increasingly opposed. Gagik Melkonyan (66), member of the Armenian National Assembly and member of the ruling party of former Russian ally Armenia, recently demanded: “If Putin comes to Armenia, he must be arrested.”
And: Yevgeny Prigozhin (61), once known as “Putin’s cook”, suddenly presents himself as a statesman. According to the American think tank Institute for the Study (ISW), he has ambitions to become Putin’s successor.
“The Russian people are suffering”
Olson believes Putin’s future depends on his success or failure in Ukraine. He is convinced that as long as Putin is in power, the war will continue. There are only two options to end the fighting: death or the overthrow of the president.
“If Putin stays in power, there will be a long war, because he won’t give up. But I don’t think Putin will stay in power. I think he will be removed,” Olson said.
Olson continues: “I think Putin will be killed.” The Russian president is a “walking dead”. The ex-cop does not want to rule out an assassination attempt. “That would mean the end of the war. Because the Russian people are suffering.” Putin cannot let Russia bleed out forever. Sooner or later his oligarch friends or the military would turn against him.
If Putin somehow manages to stay in power, Olson says the war could spread further. Then there is an “extreme risk” that Russia will attack other countries. Olson mentions the Republic of Moldova as a possible next target.
Source: Blick
I am Amelia James, a passionate journalist with a deep-rooted interest in current affairs. I have more than five years of experience in the media industry, working both as an author and editor for 24 Instant News. My main focus lies in international news, particularly regional conflicts and political issues around the world.
