At the same time, the dictator is concerned that moderate politicians may present themselves as an alternative to his regime.
The owner of “Wagner” PVK Evgeny Prigozhin and the leader of Chechnya Ramzan Kadyrov pose a threat to the power of Russian President Volodymyr Putinbecause the growth of radical sentiments among the ruling elite can get out of the dictator’s control.
This is stated in the report of the Foreign Intelligence Service of Estonia, informs Delphi.
The report describes the behavior of the Russian leadership against the background of the war in Ukraine. Yes, according to Estonian experts, for today in Russia, the arch-radical faction of the ruling elite is trying to “come to the fore”.. And once moderate high-ranking officials began to “attract attention to themselves with rather extremist statements.”
“Their behavior could be a sign of panic. Maybe they are realized that the war in Ukraine was a huge mistake, which cannot be corrected, and now the only way is to continue the struggle, using increasingly radical methods,” the intelligence report says.
She added that this is the radicalization of the political elite in the Russian Federation may be part of Putin’s plan. That is, the head of the Kremlin can allow radicals to express themselves in order to demonstrate that in the event of his disappearance, an even more extremist group will be at the helm.
Estonian intelligence believes that for the same reason Putin allowed Prigozhin and Kadyrov to expand their power and become more popular among the public in Russia.
It is noted that the Russian dictator worries that moderate politicians may present themselves as an alternative to his regime. So, to prevent this from happening, Putin forces “powerful figures with a previously moderate image to completely discredit themselves with radical statements.” An example of this is the ex-president of the Russian Federation, Dmitry Medvedev. He was once considered a relatively liberal politician, but today he threatens half the world with nuclear weapons.
According to the estimates of Estonian intelligence, the growth of radical sentiments among the Russian ruling elite may get out of control. It is possible that Putin himself may find it difficult to rein in ultra-radicals inspired by his growing influence.
“Prigozhin and Kadyrov are particularly dangerous in this context, since each of them, in fact, has his own private army“, the report emphasizes.
We will remind, according to the ex-deputy of the State Duma of the Russian Federation Ilya Ponomarev, in Russia, the process of disintegration of elites has already begun. He noted that the fact that 15 high-ranking businessmen of the Russian Union of Industrialists and Entrepreneurs “started to run away from the very meeting with Putin” proves a lot.
According to Ukrainian intelligence, after the decision of the International Criminal Court in The Hague on the warrant for Putin’s arrest, the mood in the Kremlin became gloomy. There are already looking for a successor to the President of Russia, and he himself no longer takes part in this.
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