"The king is naked": a victory that Putin can hope - the corridor from Donbass to Crimea - expert

About it in his column for The Sunday Times writes British political scientist and expert from Russia Mark Galeotty. According to the author of the article, it is very different from the ambitious plans that the Kremlin's head had recently had. However, the hidden forces of the Russian Federation should not be completely discounted. And Putin still hopes that he will be able to win, even when it comes to a low bar for that.

At the same time, Moscow's chances of block Ukraine's accession to the EU or NATO are minimal today. In addition, even Putin's former associates begin to see that the king is naked. Those who have recently said that the Kremlin leader gave stability to the country, they try to soften the consequences of war for Russia today and the militarization of the economy.

"Putin demands miracles, and when they cannot give it, he publicly humiliates them," Galeotti explains, and cites one of the examples of the Minister of Industry Denis Manturov. The official was publicly reproached that he could not establish domestic production of helicopter engines. Those who have previously been in corruption are also dissatisfied today - the opportunities for money laundering are increasingly decreasing, and competition has intensified.

Russian "hawks" complain about the incompetence of the army in the aggressor country. And these are the most dangerous of Putin's opponents, as they are part of the security apparatus, which is eventually the Kremlin's head rests. However, according to Galeotti, despite all these factors, Putin will remain in power for some time. And one of the main reasons for this is the absence of some clear alternative to the current president. RF citizens do not have a policy today who they could trust.

In his delayed appeal to the nation, which is planned for Tuesday, Putin will try to give situations a positive shine, the expert writes. "It will be a mixture of propaganda and self -deception. One Russian political observer said in a private order:" The tragedy is that nowadays it is impossible to say when Putin is lying to the people or when people lie Putin, "Galeotty emphasizes.