Russian President Vladimir Putin is reportedly facing the threat of his trusted lieutenants plotting to overthrow him if his Ukraine invasion turns out to be a failure, according to a report in June 2022.
As reported by the Sun, Daniel Hoffman said that Putin's close aides could try a coup in a very secretive manner so that they are not caught by the president.
It's going to happen all of a sudden. He'll be dead, he said.
The former U.S. intelligence official said that the Ukraine invasion may prove to be Putin's wrongdoing. His inner circle could be gearing up for a mutiny to seize control of the conflict, especially Russia is unable to gain the upper hand in the war, he added.
Russia's National Security Chief: 'They Need,' says Russia's Strategizing New Offensive. Hoffman named three potential people as potential replacements for Putin if he is toppled. The head of Putin's Security Council, Nikolai Patrushev, the director of Russia's secretive intelligence agency Alexander Bortnikov and Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu are the three named by the former CIA official. Shoigu is the most likely replacement, given that he played an important role in the Ukraine war.
Another former CIA agent, Ronald Marks, said chaos would ensue if Putin is unseated.
Photo: Adapted with an image from Antonio Mar n Segovia on Flickr.
Read Next: Xi Jinping Rejects 'Westernization, Says 'Chinese-style Modernization' More Efficient Than Capitalism