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Vladimir Putin’s power inside the Kremlin could be under threat as reports emerge of “jockeying and backstabbing” amid senior Russian officials. US President Joe Biden has been briefed on a conversation between Putin and the leader of the mercenary outfit the Wagner Group during which complaints were lodged against defence minister Sergei Shoigu about the running of the war effort in Ukraine. Yevgeny Prigozhin, the Russian oligarch and head of the Wagner Group, reportedly told Putin that he believes the invasion is being mismanaged as he looked to secure more responsibility and resources for his small squad of 5,000 soldiers in Ukraine.
Retired Lieutenant General James Clapper, former director of US National Intelligence, told CNN that he believed the meeting amounted to a “dramatic comment on the erosion of the prestige and power” of both the Russian military and Putin himself, since open dissent of the Russian leader is rare.
Retired Lieutenant General James Clapper, former director of US National Intelligence, told CNN that he believed the meeting amounted to a “dramatic comment on the erosion of the prestige and power” of both the Russian military and Putin himself, since open dissent of the Russian leader is rare.
Mr Clapper added that he believes the reports are just the “tip of the iceberg” and that it is likely there is much more infighting going on in the Kremlin.
Mr Clapper said: “There are a couple of things that struck me about this. First, it is the tip of the iceberg in terms of the intrigue that must be going on inside the Kremlin today.
“I am sure there is much more of this jockeying and backstabbing that we are not seeing. This is just what is visible to us.
“The other thing about this is I think it is a dramatic comment on the erosion of the prestige and power of the Russian military.
“When someone like this, an oligarch with a private army, gets direct access to Putin and then complains about the performance of the Russian military, which, by the way, is accurate, [it demonstrates disharmony].
“It also speaks to the possibility that fear and the intimidation factor of Putin that I think has prevailed with him for years now seems to be dissipating.”
President Biden has been briefed by US secret services about a conversation that happened last month between Prigozhin and Putin.
The oligarch confronted Putin directly about the war, saying he believes it is being completely mismanaged and that the generals put in charge by Putin were destroying the war effort.
Members of Putin’s inner circle rarely voice dissent against his policies and experts have suggested the conversation speaks to Prigozhin’s desire for more responsibility and resources for his mercenary outfit, the Wagner Group.
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Other senior Kremlin officials have also reportedly approached Putin, calling for a change in tactics in the war.
US security services are allegedly concerned that some of those senior officials have suggested to Putin the necessity of using a tactical nuclear warhead in Ukraine.
As Russia continues to struggle on the ground – Ukrainian Armed Forces claimed last week they had killed 950 Russian troops in 24 hours – the prospect of missiles as a deterrent to further battlefield advances has proved increasingly attractive to Putin.
Suicide drones and long-range missiles have been used over the past few weeks by Russia to target energy infrastructure and civilian areas behind the front lines.
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