Putin could be a ‘dead man walking' and face assassination over 'disaster' war
Russian leader Vladimir Putin could be a 'dead man walking' and face assassination because of his disastrous war on Ukraine, experts believe. The 72 year-old despot has tightened his security and rarely leaves his Kremlin security bubble out of fear of a Ukrainian kill squad, anti-Kremlin plotters or killers from within his inner-circle.
It comes as Russian society is learning they have suffered close to a million casualties, troops either killed, missing in action or wounded by fighting in Ukraine, Experts say the terrified ex-KGB man's reticence over facing Ukrainian leader Volodymyr Zelensky in Turkey this week has hugely exposed his weakness. Western intelligence analysts now believe Putin not only fears being assassinated but that it could actually happen because of his 'meat grinder' conflict.
Former commander of the UK's Joint Chemical, Biological, Radiological and Nuclear Regiment, Col Hamish de Bretton-Gordon, told the Mirror: 'There are analysts, people who know better than I, who believe Putin is now a dead man walking, a spent force whose war in Ukraine will cause his end.
'I don't think there is a chance in hell that he would or will turn up to Istanbul to face Zelensky as he would believe he could be in danger or face arrest for war crimes. Things are looking very bad in Russia as even the US now seems to be looking at conciliation with Ukraine as Trump is realising he has been played by Putin.
'Putin cannot keep playing for time and his bluff has been called brilliantly by Zelensky's challenge to meet him face-to-face in Turkey. Russia in the coming months will lose a third of its income through decreased oil prices and it has lost probably a million troops to the conflict.
'He is incredibly paranoid, as we see with his increased security and I am very reliably informed by people who would know that he has at least two dopplegangers or lookalikes. He has been acting like a worried Czar and the Bolsheviks are gathering at the gates because internally things are looking really terrible. Russians cannot even buy a loaf of bread.'
Bruce Jones, one of the UK's leading analysts in Russian intelligence and the military said: 'Things never end democratically in Russia and the situation is bad for Putin. He has had people killed for years and some in his military have already been dealt with in such a way - he knows the way this goes for a leader in Moscow who is not making good decisions. So he is probably right to be paranoid.'
Colonel Richard Kemp, former commander of UK forces in Afghanistan, added: 'There are plenty of people who would want to have Putin bumped off. But his security is so tight that there is a real question over whether that is at all achievable and I believe that for the moment it is unlikely to happen.'
Zelensky challenged Putin to showdown talks this week that could bring an end to the grinding war that has decimated both countries. The Ukraine leader travels to Turkey on Thursday hoping to negotiate the first steps to "true and lasting peace" in Eastern Europe, his chief of staff has announced.
Putin had suggested a meeting between officials from Kyiv and Moscow to be held in Istanbul, but it is highly unlikely he would attend. The Ukrainian president said that should Putin refuse to go it would show the Kremlin chief does not want peace. A former British intelligence officer told the Mirror: 'Putin is a very diminished person. But there are questions over whether him being killed would serve any purpose.'
US President Donald Trump has offered to attend the talks, although Washington is not clear whether any Kremlin officials would show up. Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov previously said it would make an announcement about whether anyone would attend "as soon as the president sees fit."
Kyiv has been willing to show Washington it is prepared to end the conflict, having signed a minerals deal with the US and regularly stating it wants to bring the war to an end. Russian mercenary organisation, the Wagner Group staged an armed revolt against the country over concerns about how the war was being conducted.
Its leader Yevgeny Prigozhin led a mutiny against Russia, steering his forces from Ukraine toward Moscow Putin branded it "treason" but agreed with Prigozhin to let him live should he bring the mutiny to an end. Prigozhin died in a plane crash two months later in August 2023.
Putin is so desperate for troops North Korea is estimated to have sent about 12,000 including members of its special forces. It is possible thousands of North Korean soldiers have died in the conflict.
And last week it emerged that North Korean tyrant Kim Jong-Un has agreed to send a further 15,000 workers to help Putin bolster his dwindling industrial employee base and help in Far East Russian factories.
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