Russia ‘sinking’, elites distance themselves from Vladimir Putin: former envoy | World News

Elites around Russian President Vladimir Putin are looking for ways to escape the “wreck,” a former U.S. ambassador to Ukraine told Newsweek.

“The cracks in Russian elite society have become evident, at least since last September,” John Herbst, senior director of the Eurasia Center at the Atlantic Council, said of Wagner CEO Yev. said during the clash between Yevgeny Prigozhin and Russian Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu.

Prigozhin repeatedly threatened to retreat because of the apparent lack of ammunition for his fighters.

“The problem with authoritarian regimes is that they appear to be stable, but are totally unstable,” said John Herbst, adding that “sharp criticism comes from the Angry Patriots Club . . . criticizing all leaders including Putin. layer.”

Senior regime officials also distanced themselves from Putin’s “partial mobilization” order last September, the former special envoy said.

“All these are signs of a shipwreck, and [they are] Wondering how they got off. This does not mean that the regime will collapse tomorrow. But it does mean that Ukraine’s apparent failure has put enormous and growing pressure on the Putin regime,” he said.

Earlier, the ISW assessed in December that Putin was “likely concerned” that the Russian elite would not support his war in Ukraine.

“a year ago, [Putin] Already lost the battles of Kiev and Kharkov.But his forces have regrouped and are making slow but notable progress in the Donbass [in] April, May 2022. Russia has no real counteroffensive this year, and Ukraine is preparing another one. The situation in Moscow is worse now than it was then. A year ago, analysts vastly overestimated Russia’s capabilities,” John Herbst said.