With the collapse of the Russian army in Kharkiv and the resulting chaos in the Russian command structure, Putin is in a much weaker position than he has ever been since assuming power. If there ever was a time for his domestic opponents to mount a coup to end his regime, this would probably be it.
I found this nugget on a reliable Twitter feed--that of General Mark Hertling. He is generally in the know and is not prone to rumor mongering. His source reports that there are now tanks on the streets in Moscow and that perhaps Putin might be getting nervous as a result.
Military defeat often results in regime change. Every loss by a great power needs a scapegoat. Russia’s special military operation against Ukraine was Putin’s baby. There is little doubt that he deserves the blame for its failure. However, it is unclear whether any of his domestic opponents are in a strong enough position to take him down.
This particular incident with the rolling armor may turn out to be nothing. However, it could signal the beginning of the end for a callous and now failing dictator.
Sunday, Sep 11, 2022 · 4:35:36 PM +00:00 · highonthehill
update:
It appears that one of Putin’s strongest allies is now a critic.
“Ramzan Kadyrov, the Kremlin-appointed leader of Chechnya, has criticised the Russian army’s leadership after it appeared to be caught off guard by Ukraine’s fightback against the Russian invasion in the north-east.
In a sign that the Kremlin may face serious fallout over the loss of territory that the Russian occupation administrations had repeatedly stated they planned to keep “for ever”, Kadyrov also suggested that Vladimir Putin might not be aware of the real state of affairs. ...
“If today or tomorrow no changes in strategy are made, I will be forced to speak with the leadership of the defence ministry and the leadership of the country to explain the real situation on the ground to them. It’s a very interesting situation. It’s astounding, I would say,” said Kadyrov, a former rebel turned Kremlin ally who rules Chechnya – a Russian republic in the Caucasus – with an iron fist and has a paramilitary force at his command.”