Russian Elites Grow Impatient as Propagandists Panic

Russian President Vladimir Putin is facing unprecedented internal pressure as his ruling elite grows increasingly impatient with the trajectory of the war and the collapsing economy, The Sun and AOL reported. Prominent figures within Putin’s inner circle are reportedly moving financial assets abroad as cohesion within the Kremlin fractures, sparking fears of a potential mutiny.JOIN US ON TELEGRAMFollow our coverage of the war on the @Kyivpost_official. German Gref, the 62-year-old head of Russia’s largest bank, Sberbank, and a former member of Putin’s top team, reportedly demanded an end to the faltering war in Ukraine, accusing the Kremlin of tanking the economy to avoid a humiliating peace deal. Weeks later, billionaire Andrey Melnichenko, a prominent oligarch in the fertilizer industry, made a public plea to the West for economic support, implicitly criticizing Putin’s one-man rule. Analysts note that it is virtually unprecedented for prominent Russian officials to make such demands publicly. The growing dissent is largely driven by financial self-preservation following a sustained campaign of Ukrainian drone strikes that have crippled Russia’s oil infrastructure and its largest e-commerce platform, Wildberries, severely disrupting trade and sparking fuel shortages. According to Jason Smart, an analyst on the war in Ukraine, Russia’s richest individuals have moved tens of billions of dollars abroad over the past year. “They understand that Putin’s regime is on very shaky ground. And at this point, there’s a very good chance that it will fall,” Smart told The Sun, adding that factions within the elite are preparing for a post-Putin Russia. “That also means there’s a high chance for violence.” Other Topics of Interest Russia Strikes Rozetka Hub in Brovary Twice in 24 Hours Russian forces targeted the primary logistics hub of Ukrainian e-commerce company Rozetka in Brovary for a second time in 24 hours, striking the facility with Shahed drones overnight. In response to the growing instability, security around Putin’s primary wartime residence, the Valdai fortress, has been heavily reinforced with 27 modern air defense systems. Furthermore, the 400,000-strong National Guard – which reports directly to Putin rather than the Defense Ministry – has been bolstered with heavy weaponry, including tank units, in what analysts assess is preparation to suppress internal rebellion. International rebukes and propagandist Panic The internal fracturing coincides with pushback from Russia’s traditional international allies. During a recent meeting in Omsk, Russia, Kazakh President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev told Putin it was time to “freeze” the conflict in Ukraine, stating that the “point” of the war was no longer clear and advocating for a return to the Istanbul negotiation formula. Former UK Defence Attaché to Russia John Foreman assessed Tokayev’s statement as a warning to Putin that Kazakhstan will not be pushed around, especially after recent Ukrainian strikes on a Black Sea oil terminal forced Kazakhstan to slash output at its main oil field by more than half. The growing unease has also permeated Russian state media. Vladimir Solovyov, a leading Kremlin propagandist, experienced an on-air breakdown during a recent Sunday broadcast, making admissions about the state of the conflict. Conceding that “things are difficult,” Solovyov discussed the need to relocate hundreds of thousands of residents from border areas, including Kursk, Bryansk, Belgorod, and Crimea, to the Russian Far East, the Urals, and the Volga regions. Solovyov acknowledged a critical shortage of drone interceptors and warned that incoming Ukrainian ballistic missiles will soon strike deep within Russia. He stated that eliminating massive quantities of ammunition and military equipment in the years prior to the invasion was a “giant mistake.” “We’ve encountered a new kind of war,” Solovyov said. “For us, this war is quite difficult, because there was a certain moment in 2022 when it suddenly became clear that a military doctrine to which all armies in the world used to adhere no longer works.” Despite the elite dissent and panic on state television, Putin continues to deny responsibility for the invasion. Speaking to Russian Navy personnel in St. Petersburg, the Kremlin leader repeated the false narrative that Moscow was merely responding to actions by Kyiv backed by the West. “We did not start any war,” Putin claimed. “We only began responding to the military actions, to this war, which the current Kyiv regime launched with the support of the West.” Kyiv Post is Ukraine’s first and oldest English news organization, reporting since 1995. Its international reach – 97% of readers are outside of Ukraine – make it truly Ukraine’s global voice.