Terrified Putin fears enemies will ‘hang him’ if he ends Ukraine war without taking ‘fortress belt’ region as top prize

VLADIMIR Putin is afraid that ending his relentless war on Ukraine without victory could cost him his life, insiders say. If the deranged dictator does not end his war with the fortress belt Donbas region of Eastern Ukraine, he reportedly told his inner circle he would be killed. Insiders said Vladimir Putin told his inner circle ‘they will hang me’ if he doesn’t win control of the Donbas Credit: Getty Russia has chosen to escalate to try and fight its way out of a corner Credit: Getty Putin was humiliated on the world stage today as the Indian PM told him to end his war on Ukraine Credit: Getty The deranged dictator is desperate to get full control of Donetsk and the Donbas Credit: EPA According to The Economist, petrified Putin told Kremlin cronies that if he does not win control of the Donbas: “They will hang me.” Senior allies of the president feel the invasion of Ukraine has failed, dragging out for nearly five years and destroying the country’s economy. Sign up for The Sun newsletter Thank you! Ukraine’s recent “long-range sanctions” blasting online retailers’ warehouses and oil refineries have caused devastating petrol shortages and brought the cost of war home to Putin’s subjects. The ageing tyrant has accused Ukraine of opening a “Pandora’s box” with its attacks on Russian Amazon-equivalent Wildberries, after weeks of glum silence on the strikes. But Kremlin sources say Putin is stuck at a dead end and has chosen a dangerous way out. The desperate dictator is at risk of escalating his campaign against his neighbour by lashing out at Nato. Last week CIA boss John Ratcliffe flew to Moscow on a secret flight, reportedly to warn the Russian leader off hitting out at the West. And Putin was humiliated on the world stage today as Narendra Modi told him to stop his brutal war on Ukraine. Most read in The Sun Strikes on Ukraine have continued to wreak havoc, including on Zaporizhzhia Credit: REUTERS Huge explosions erupt near Kyiv after a Russian strike on a major ammunition store Credit: East2West The Indian PM told his ally: “We need to move from an endless war to the end of the war.” Furious Putin then ripped out his translation earpiece and said through gritted teeth: “Thank you very much, Mr. Prime Minister. We are moving in that direction.” Modi piled on the pressure, saying: “Every day of war sets the humanity back, whereas every step taken towards peace fills the humanity with new hope and enthusiasm.” Putin seems determined to escalate despite the huge cost of his meatgrinder war to Russia. Nearly 1.5million of Mad Vlad’s desperate lads have been lost to death or injury since his full-scale war on Ukraine began in 2022. And Volodymyr Zelensky has said Putin is planning to draft over 300,000 new recruits to help pummel Ukraine’s defences and take the rest of Donbas. Fully capturing the rest of the Donbas has become a key target for Russia due to the Fortress Belt – a 50km-wide defensive line of cities which is vital to pushing enemies back. As tensions between Moscow and Europe reach boiling point, the dictator could unleash a 300,000-troop “hammer blow” and crank up sabotage attacks on Nato. Attacks on European GPS signals “would cause instant massive disruption and chaos”, Russian military expert Keir Giles told The Sun. It comes as panicked Russians are draining billions from bank accounts as Putin’s economy plunges into chaos. A staggering £18billion has been pulled from Russian banks so far this year – with an eye-watering £2.5billion taken out in the first two weeks of August alone. That colossal sum eclipses the total amount withdrawn during the entire first year of the war, as well as every year since. Dramatic footage has shown long lines of Russians queuing up to take their money home amid the frenzy – echoing scenes from the chaotic opening weeks of the invasion. Comment now