Putin could be ‘toppled in coup’ amid Russia Ukraine War

A journalist claimed that Putin could be deposed by his own officers and generals.

When asked if the Kremlin leader, a former FSB agent himself, could be deposed by his own men, Andrei Soldatov, a leading Russian investigative journalist, told Channel 4 News that “everything now seems to be possible.”

Following the invasion, there have been reports that Putin was told by the FSB security service, the successor to the KGB, that Ukraine would easily capitulate and surrender.

“Is it possible that some senior generals, particularly those on the front lines here, together with some disgruntled officers in the FSB, could turn against Putin to try and dislodge him?” Matt Frei of Channel 4 News asked Mr Soldatov.

As a response, he stated: “Obviously, everything now appears to be possible, but keep in mind that Putin is a former KGB officer.

“He is well aware of the dangers to his personal security and safety, and he employs not one, but two security services.

The Kremlin is said to be in disarray after a series of blows to Vladimir Putin’s regime, as the planned invasion of Ukraine slows.

Putin is said to be enraged by Russia’s failures thus far, but the Kremlin has denied asking China for weapons to assist.

The invading forces have made little progress in recent days, and the Russian assault is now primarily focused on heavy shelling and airstrikes.

Attempts to assassinate Ukraine’s President Volodymyr Zelensky have failed, with a ‘hit squad’ sent into Kyiv thwarted by double agents.

So far, Russia has lost a number of generals, including General Andrei Kolesnikov of the 29th Combined Arms Army, who was killed in fighting on Friday.

Russian generals killed in battle

According to Western officials, Kolesnikov was one of 20 major Russian generals who were thought to be leading the Ukraine invasion, which was riddled with tactical errors.

His death will come as a blow to Vladimir Putin and the Kremlin, which insists the invasion is proceeding as planned. They continue to refuse to refer to the conflict as a “war.”

Major General Vitaly Gerasimov, chief of staff of the 41st Army, was assassinated outside Kharkiv the day before Kolesnikov’s death.

While Major-General Andrey Sukhovetsky, a top paratrooper in Vladimir Putin’s invading forces, is said to have been assassinated by a sniper during a special operation in Ukraine.

Sukhovetsky was the first general to be killed, with Putin confirming his death in a speech eight days after the invasion began.

The confirmation of his death, according to Christo Grozev, executive director of the investigative journalism outlet Bellingcat, would be a “major demotivator” for Russian troops.

Sukhovetsky was reportedly decorated for his role in the annexation of Crimea and graduated from Airborne Command School in 1995.

Gerasimov, along with other senior officers, was killed outside the eastern city of Kharkiv, according to Ukraine’s defence ministry.

The deaths of Russian generals come after reports that Putin has placed a Kremlin spy chief and his deputy under house arrest, blaming his security services for setbacks in the invasion of Ukraine.

Arrest of FSB intelligence head

According to an expert, Sergey Beseda, the head of Russia’s intelligence branch, the Federal Security Branch, was arrested along with his deputy, Anatoly Bolyukh.

Exiled Russian human rights activist Vladimir Osechkin confirmed the arrests as well.

It comes after Russia finally admitted that it had lost its first senior military intelligence officer during the conflict with Ukraine.

Captain Alexey Glushchak of the GRU died in the carnage in the Ukrainian port of Mariupol, though his country has not revealed how he died.

“The circumstances of the death of the Tyumen hero are not disclosed due to the strict secrecy of the military operation,” a statement said.

Putin could be ‘toppled in coup’

According to a journalist, Putin could be deposed by his own officers and generals.

When asked if the Kremlin leader, a former FSB agent himself, could be deposed by his own men, Andrei Soldatov, a leading Russian investigative journalist, told Channel 4 News that “everything now appears to be possible.”

Following the invasion, there have been reports that Putin was told by the FSB security service, the KGB’s successor, that Ukraine would easily capitulate and surrender.

“Is it possible that some senior generals, particularly those on the front lines here, along with some disgruntled officers in the FSB, could turn against Putin to try to destabilise him?” Matt Frei of Channel 4 News asked Mr Soldatov.

As a response, he stated: “Obviously, everything now appears to be possible, but keep in mind that Putin is a former KGB officer.

“He is well aware of the dangers to his personal security and safety, and he employs not one, but two security services.

At least 12,000 Russian troops killed – and slow advances

While chaos appears to be escalating within the Kremlin, Ukraine’s Armed Forces estimate that approximately 12, 000 Russian troops, 303 tanks, 48 warplanes, 80 helicopters, and over 1,000 armoured personnel carriers have been lost.

It comes as the head of Russia’s National Guard stated that Moscow’s military operation in Ukraine is not progressing as quickly as the Kremlin had hoped, in the most public admission yet that the invasion is not going as planned.

Viktor Zolotov blamed the slower-than-expected progress on far-right Ukrainian forces hiding behind civilians, an accusation repeated by Russian officials.

“I’d like to say that, yes, not everything is moving as quickly as we would like,” Mr Zolotov said in comments posted on the National Guard’s website.

Those remarks appeared to contradict Russia’s Defence Minister Sergei Shoigu’s assessment on Friday, when he told Putin that “everything is going according to plan.”

According to the UK Ministry of Defence, a column of Russian forces approaching Kyiv is now about 15 miles away from the Ukrainian capital.

Earlier, it was reported that the Ukrainian army destroyed Russian armoured vehicles and a command centre.