Putin fears a coup as Russia shows its weakness, report says
Photo: Russian president Vladimir Putin (Getty Images)
With Vladimir Putin’s rise to power, Russia has turned into a totalitarian state, and the dictator carefully protects his regime from any threats, reports The Telegraph.
The Russian FSB recently accused Mikhail Khodorkovsky, who now lives in London, and 22 members of the Russian Anti-War Committee of preparing a state coup. The intelligence agency claims that the committee, created to oppose Russia’s war against Ukraine, allegedly plans a “violent seizure of power and overthrow of the constitutional order.”
Experts say this reflects Putin’s new sense of vulnerability.
“It tells us that the Kremlin is being paranoid. Putin is looking for enemies to try to bolster his regime,” said former US ambassador to Ukraine John Herbst.
Earlier, in 2023, Wagner PMC leader Yevgeny Prigozhin attempted to march on Moscow against the dictator, but the rebellion failed, and Prigozhin died in a plane crash.
Khodorkovsky does not plan military actions against the Kremlin. After spending 10 years in a Siberian prison, he emigrated to Europe. In 2022, he founded the Anti-War Committee. According to him, the FSB’s accusations reflect the Kremlin’s fear regarding the transfer of power: if Putin dies, there is no obvious successor.
“What do we have in Russia? A prime minister whom no one elected but whom Putin appointed. Courts appointed by Putin. A parliament whose seats were filled through falsified elections, and whose legitimacy no one believes in,” Khodorkovsky said.
Experts also note that the international legitimacy of the Russian opposition could become a key factor in the event of a sudden power change. That is why the Kremlin is trying to discredit and intimidate the Anti-War Committee.
Angela Stent from Georgetown University adds: “They want to reinforce Putin’s line that the West is trying to break up Russia.” The Kremlin applies similar tactics whenever there is unrest inside the country.
Russia and China
Khodorkovsky also notes that Russia is heavily dependent on China.
“Xi Jinping could collapse the Russian economy and stop the war tomorrow if he chose to,” he says.
Russia’s economic weakness, according to Tom Keatinge from the Royal United Services Institute, could push external players toward more active measures.
Since coming to power, Putin has systematically eliminated those who oppose him. The same happened with Prigozhin, who tried to march on Moscow by force but failed, and his uprising did not succeed.
EU’s 19th sanctions package
Recently, the European Union approved its 19th sanctions package against Russia over the full-scale war in Ukraine.
The sanctions list includes 45 companies supporting the Russian military and industrial complex, including enterprises from third countries that help bypass export restrictions and obtain dual-use technologies. The measures include bans on importing liquefied gas, deals with major Russian oil companies, and more.
Sanctions also cover the financial sector and cryptocurrency services: transactions with Russian banks, connections to the SPFS, Mir, and SBP systems, as well as the use of cryptocurrencies to bypass sanctions, are prohibited.
Putin has already reacted to these sanctions. He claimed that the restrictions will have little serious impact on the Russian economy.
