Putin on brink as elites turn against him and say they are ‘profoundly disappointed’ | World | News
Political elites inside Vladimir Putin’s circle are showing increasing disappointment with the Russian president as he approaches the most difficult period of his career. As Russia carries on with the costly war against Ukraine waged over four years ago, interviews with several people in the orbit of the Russian leader point to a rapidly disillusioned elite, both with the faltering war and the economic downturn at home.
There is a growing sense that Putin’s “senseless” decisions have isolated the leader. A well-connected business leader told The Guardian: “There’s definitely been a shift in mood among the elites this year … there is profound disappointment in Putin.” He added that there was “a growing sense that some kind of catastrophe is looming”.
“No one believes everything will suddenly collapse tomorrow,” the source said. “But there is a growing realisation that utterly senseless, self-destructive decisions keep being made. People who once defended Putin no longer do. Any sense of a future has disappeared.”
Yet despite these pressures, sources close to the Kremlin say Putin’s position on the war in Ukraine remains unchanged. According to several individuals familiar with internal discussions, along with European and Ukrainian intelligence officials, the Russian leader is still committed to pursuing his military objectives.
Two people with knowledge of Putin’s thinking said he has told members of his inner circle that he believes Russian forces can seize the whole of the Donbas region before the end of the year. “His focus remains firmly on Donbas,” one source said. “He has no intention of backing down before achieving that goal.” That’s despite the fact that, according to military analysts, at the current pace of advance, it could take Russia years to fully capture the Donbas.
Last month, Ukraine liberated more land than Russia seized, causing Moscow to suffer a so-called net loss of territory. This is the first time since Ukraine’s August 2024 incursion into the southern Russian Kursk region, according to a US-based conflict monitor Institute for the Study of War (ISW).
It remains unclear, The Guardian reports, to what extent Russia’s military and security services are presenting Putin with an overly optimistic picture. “Even if many around him understand the reality of the situation, we still don’t know what Putin himself understands. That’s the most difficult part,” one senior European intelligence official said.
Another reason for Putin’s push for the fight is that the Russian leader has lost faith in Donald Trump‘s ability to force Kyiv into surrendering territory as part of a deal, according to one source close to Putin and another involved in backchannel talks.
For now, the Kremlin’s priority remains to capture Donbas, with Russian officials signalling that Moscow could consider peace talks once that objective is secured. But people close to Putin say his aims could expand if Ukraine’s defences weaken, potentially pushing Russian forces beyond the Dnipro River to seize the remaining territory in the four regions Moscow claimed in 2022. This is because, as one source put it, Putin is not a long-term strategist, but rather someone whose “appetite grows as he eats”.
