Putin will be killed in a coup: Zelensky
Kyiv: Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky has predicted Vladimir Putin will eventually be murdered by his own inner circle.
“There will definitely be a moment when the fragility of Putin’s regime will be felt inside the (Russian) state,” Mr Zelensky said. “And then the predators will devour a predator … They will find a reason to kill a killer.”
Mr Putin’s inner circle is made up of hardliners, including fellow former KGB officers he has known for decades. Analysts say it is unlikely that any would move against him because they are obliged to him for their power and influence.
However, the failures of Mr Putin’s army in Ukraine have led to infighting. Yevgeny Prigozhin, the head of the Wagner Group of mercenaries, and Ramzan Kadyrov, the ruthless Chechen leader, have lashed out at defence officials over battlefield reversals.
Over the weekend, Mr Prigozhin called for Alexei Stolyarov, the son-in-law of Sergei Shoigu, the defence minister, to be press-ganged into Wagner and sent to the front after he reportedly “liked” an antiwar post on social media. The Wagner chief also said his fighters had captured the key village of Yahidne, but Ukraine disputed the claim.
Although Mr Putin’s 23year-rule was founded on the promise of stability, he is the first Kremlin leader since Joseph Stalin to witness enemy strikes on Russian territory. At least 25 people have been killed by shelling in the Belgorod region, which neighbours Ukraine, according to official statistics.
Mr Zelensky has often appealed to Russians in their own language to speak out against the war. “Unfortunately, they do not hear. There is a wall,” he said in a new documentary about the war.
An opinion poll published in Moscow indicates almost equal numbers of Russians either fervently support the war (22 per cent) or are deeply opposed to it (20 per cent). The remainder have no strong feelings either way.