Putin is losing control over Russia - The Economist
Kyiv • UNN
Russian elites are distancing themselves from Putin due to the failed offensive and loss of positions. Analysts are already predicting Russia's future without the dictator.
Russian dictator Vladimir Putin has begun to lose control over the situation in the war against Ukraine. This is stated in a piece by The Economist, reports UNN.
Details
According to the media outlet's assessment, the Russian army's spring offensive did not yield the expected results, and Russian troops have begun losing positions for the first time since 2024.
It arrived not as an event, but as a sensation felt everywhere at once: Vladimir Putin has led Russia into a dead end, and no one has a plan for what comes next
According to the authors, the first manifestation is a change in the language used by high-ranking officials, governors, and businessmen: they have stopped using the first-person plural when talking about the actions of the authorities in the country.
As recently as last spring, it was "we" and "ours." Mr. Putin's war against Ukraine might be reckless and unsuccessful, but it was collective. "We" were inside it, and it would be better for all of "us" if it ended sooner. Now they describe what is happening as "his" story, not "ours." Not our project, not our agenda, not our war
The authors emphasize that Putin's decisions are described as "strange." At the same time, "what is even stranger is that he is deciding anything at all."
It is not just about falling approval ratings. The future is no longer discussed in terms of what Mr. Putin will decide, but as something that will unfold independently of him — and, perhaps, already without him
"This change in language does not signal a rebellion. An authoritarian system can exist for a long time thanks to fear, inertia, and repression. It still has a monopoly on violence, but it has lost the monopoly on shaping the future. In the past, the regime, despite all its lies, had a certain project it could promote: 'restoration of statehood,' re-asserting itself as an 'energy superpower.' There was even 'modernization' right up to the turn toward ultra-conservatism and war. The irony is that Mr. Putin started the war to preserve his power and the system he created. Now, for the first time since the start of the conflict, Russians are beginning to imagine a future without him. This is due to the coincidence of four factors," the authors conclude.
As a reminder
The Kremlin repeated Vladimir Putin's statement that the war against Ukraine is allegedly "nearing its end." At the same time, President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelenskyy stated that Moscow shows no intention of stopping hostilities and is preparing new attacks.