Several former generals and former KGB officials are preparing to overthrow President Vladimir Putin, according to rumors circulating in Moscow, denounced by Andrei Soldatov, who runs the investigative website ‘Agentura’, who warned that the head of the Putin’s former employer in the Russian FSB security service is so frustrated with Ukraine’s lack of military progress that he has sought out several high-ranking Russian army officers, according to various media reports in Eastern Europe and Germany.

The group, known as “Siloviki”, believes that Russia’s invasion of Ukraine was a strategic mistake and, above all, an economic disaster – the group, made up of former FSB officials who are active in Russian politics, strives to expel Putin, along with former GRU, KGB and FSO officers, other Russian intelligence units. The idea that a coup could be imminent is further strengthened by social media activity across Russia and Eastern Europe, which has accelerated in the last 24 hours. In addition, analysts inside and outside Russia said there were signs that Putin could face a coup.

The Russian president is “very concerned” that a coup is imminent and has tightened security in and around the Kremlin. “This matters? It is very important,” Russian security expert Andrei Soldatov explained to the Center for European Policy Analysis. “This is the first time that the siloviki are distancing themselves from the president, which opens up all kinds of possibilities.”

“The Russian president has been preparing for a coup for a few weeks as he faced fierce criticism for his ‘special operation’ in Ukraine and purged around 150 of his spies for their constant failures,” Soldatov explained. In addition, rumors are also circulating that Putin’s health has been affected since the beginning of the war.

It became evident that the relationship between the FSB and Putin had deteriorated since the beginning of the war. Last month, two top FB officers were placed under house arrest by Putin. According to ‘Agentura’, Sergei Beseda, head of the Fifth Service – the foreign intelligence branch of the FSB – and his ‘deputy’ were arrested and placed under house arrest. The move was seen as a clear sign that Putin is deeply concerned about the FSB’s role in the offensive against Ukraine and fears that forces within intelligence may be working against him, Western officials said.

Russian analyst Alexey Muraviev is also convinced that the Russian president is facing a coup from his top military and intelligence chiefs. He assured Sky News Australia that an attempt to remove Putin could be imminent because “there were tensions between Russia and the intelligence community. There was clearly an error in judgment that was made and was probably motivated by Putin himself about the situation in Ukraine.”

“I think this kind of false narrative was presented to them by the Supreme Commander, and when he fired back when the Russians started to take heavy casualties, Putin started silently blaming the security services,” he continued.

Source: With Agencies