Russian officials privately admit Putin’s system has no future

Verstka said it spoke with “people inside the system.” Western media outlets and European intelligence services almost simultaneously reported this spring that Putin’s system had entered a period of turbulence, the article said.

In private conversations with the outlet, mid-level officials admitted that the system indeed lacks a future. One source said “these are difficult times — that is now obvious, and there is no point in lying.”

He also admitted that Russia’s war against Ukraine “has dragged on longer than anyone expected.” At the same time, he said this was “not the first crisis in his memory” and tried to argue that “everything is not as bad as the West writes.”

According to the source, the system is “shaking a little,” but not collapsing.

Another source close to Putin’s administration was more openly concerned.

If Putin’s rule collapses, the official said, he and his colleagues “have no future.”

“Everyone understands this, although no one says it,” the source said.

He also admitted that he would like to send his child abroad to study, adding uncertainly: “And we will keep fighting here.”

Verstka also quoted a Putin administration employee as saying that “the fact that the system has no future is obvious to everyone and is discussed by everyone here.” However, the source said “no one goes beyond stating the fact.”

The source said “the absence of any active plans” is accompanied by “general depression.” The situation, he said, is clear: “Tomorrow will be worse or the same.”

Another Verstka source, described as someone working with the Kremlin’s media messaging, said there are currently two “most nervous groups”: people responsible for controlling domestic politics and those “making money from the war.”

A political analyst who works with the ruling party also said there is tension around the upcoming State Duma elections.

“The issue is not that there will be some mismatch between election results and public sentiment. Here and now, they will not lead to protests, but they could expose many problems and further aggravate the situation,” Verstka quoted the analyst as saying.

At the same time, he noted that during Russia’s mass protests in 2011–2012, “the intelligentsia and civil society protested,” while “now they will not make a sound.”

What European intelligence report revealed — key points

Russian dictator Vladimir Putin fears being killed by drones and worries that Russia’s elite could organize an assassination attempt or coup, according to a European intelligence report covered by CNN, the Financial Times and Russian opposition outlet Important Stories.

In particular, Putin fears that drones could be used “for a possible assassination attempt by representatives of Russia’s political elite,” according to the report.

Putin has stopped visiting his residences in Valdai and the Moscow region. Staff near him are not allowed to use the internet, while visitors go through two levels of security checks.

In addition, no State Duma deputy received an invitation to this year’s May 9 parade on Red Square.

The intelligence report also said Russian security officials argued at a meeting with Putin after the killing of Lt. Gen. Fanil Sarvarov in Moscow.

The report further alleged that former Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu, who has served as secretary of Russia’s Security Council since May 2024, is “associated with the risk of an attempted coup” because he “retains significant influence in the military command.”