On Monday, Russian President Vladimir Putin’s former speechwriter, Abbas Gallyamov, remarked that “a military coup will become possible” within the next year due to a “deteriorating” economy and the mounting death toll in the Ukraine war.
Overview
Referring to Putin as “an old tyrant, an old dictator” in an interview with CNN, Gallyamov stated, “Russians will be coming across more difficulties and they’ll be trying to find explanation why this is happening.”
He further pointed out that “when the political situation changes” in a year, with Putin becoming increasingly “hated” and a “really unpopular” Ukraine war, the Russians might “need to shed blood for this.”
Russian President Vladimir Putin’s former speech writer believes that a military coup is becoming a possibility in Russia. @_mcmitch reports for @CNN.
— Just Security (@just_security) January 31, 2023
That & more:https://t.co/09AcVsehWR
In this respect, in March, the Main Intelligence Directorate of the Ministry of Defence of Ukraine claimed that Russia’s political and economic elite are considering removing Putin and restoring economic ties with the West in light of Russia’s crumbling economy due to Western sanctions.
In May, according to independent Russian media outlet Meduza, Russian elites have held secret discussions about Putin’s potential successor in case he loses public support due to the Ukraine war or falls ill.
Putin May Cancel the 2024 Presidential Elections
Gallyamov predicted that Putin may declare martial law across the country and cancel the presidential elections next year, claiming that Putin will “face difficulty with the Russians” without winning the Ukraine war.
Gallyamov, a political commentator who has lived in Israel since 2018, worked with Putin’s speechwriting team from 2000 to 2001, and then between 2008 and 2010.
Putin a “Second-Rate Dictator”
In a column in the Russian outlet Mozhem Obyasnit last week, Gallyamov wrote about the growing frustration among Russian commanders as their troops continue to face debilitating losses on the battlefield.
A military coup in Russia is likely as President Vladimir Putin is starting to look like a "second-rate dictator," his former aide said on Thursday. https://t.co/MvJ2pxMP1s via @businessinsider
— M. O. Varsi (@movarsi) January 31, 2023
“As problems pile up in the country and the army [...] Putin is more steadily transforming in people’s eyes, from a great strategist to an ordinary, second-rate dictator,” he opined.
Last month, citing anonymous sources, Gallyamov mentioned that Putin has a possible escape plan in case Russia loses the Ukraine war.