After Russian President Vladimir Putin warned Russians that they might not survive as a nation if Ukraine wins the war, Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelensky predicts that Putin will eventually end up killed by his own inner circle over his handling of the war in Ukraine.
Pointing out that the development is only a matter of time in the Ukrainian documentary “Year” by journalist Dmytro Komarov to mark a year of the war, Zelensky said that the regime of his Russian counterpart is fragile.
Zelensky predicts in the documentary that at a point that will definitely come, the fragility of Putin’s regime will be felt inside the state and that his own people will find a reason to ‘kill the killer’ or, in Zelensky’s words, “the predators will devour a predator.”
Analysts, however, claim that Zelensky’s prediction is unlikely to come true since people in Putin’s inner circle – that would allegedly move against him – owe their positions to him.
The Washington Post published an article in December containing a similar theory based on statements made to the newspaper by members of the Russian elite.
The article said that Putin’s closest allies are increasingly frustrated and are speculating, as one Russian billionaire who has ties with top-ranking officials told the newspaper, he has no real plan for Ukraine.
Per the newspaper, the Russian elite could not predict what will happen over the coming year, underscoring their doubts that even Putin himself knew what he will do.
According to CIA Director William Burns, the Russian president is being overly confident in the ability of the Russian military to grind Ukraine into submission, and that he believes he can make time work for him so he can wear down Ukraine’s Western allies, hoping that political fatigue will eventually set in.
Burns, however, pointed out that Putin will – at some point – going to have to face up to increasing costs that will be coming home in coffins.