Russia the Russian elite can no longer lead the good life of the West
The Russian invasion ofUkraine it sees a steady rise in civilian casualties, over 2 million refugees on the run and an incalculable number of internally displaced persons. Meanwhile, awareness among Western politicians is growing that the quickest way to end this war is for President Vladimir Putin to leave his post, and most likely not of his own free will.
While no Western government openly pursues a regime change policy in Moscow, all hope that economic sanctions will encourage the Russians to oust Putin from Kremlin. Which begs the question: Is Putin coup proof? There are a number of circumstances that could lead to a change of power in Moscow.
The reasons why Putin started the war remain inscrutable, writes the Washington Post in an editorial. Whatever else it can achieve, this war will make Russia poorer and less secure, it will bring it closer BORN at its borders – rather than reject it – and will strengthen the determination of governments throughout the former Soviet empire to seek protection from powers hostile to Moscow. But the conflict in Ukraine is also fundamentally reshaping the power structure there Russiain ways that could solidify Putin’s authority for years to come, or perhaps bring down his regime.
If the president succeeds, instead of a large and contentious class of rich and powerful Russians who maintain at least some ties to theEurope and the United States, Western leaders will be left to deal with Putin and his security men, a group over which Washington, London and Brussels have considerably less leverage. This will be a free and even more unpredictable Russia, and most likely much more tyrannical, as the state claims ever greater control over the economy.
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