#UkraineRussianWar: Russian Coup Could Send Vladimir #Putin To The Grave—-One time Russian minister has claimed that Vladimir Putin could be ousted by an internal Kremlin coup Amidst #Ukraine invasion
Andrei Kozyrev, who was Boris Yeltsin’s leading diplomat, believes key figures in the Kremlin may be plotting the Russian President’s downfall.
It comes as Russian troops edge towards Ukraine’s capital Kyiv, with reports overnight stating the bulk of Russian forces are now just 25km from the city following a night of intense fighting.
But Mr Kozyrev, who was foreign minister from 1990 to 1996, believes Putin could soon be ousted with an “armed escort either to the grave or to retirement.”
This is because, according to Mr Kozyrev, Russian forces are bogged down in Ukraine and the country is isolated due to sanctions.
As per the Daily Express, he said: “Many Russian tsars were killed. Many were dismissed one way or the other.
“Even in the Soviet Union, there were ways; Stalin was said to have been poisoned, Khrushchev was just escorted out of the Kremlin.
“With Putin, I very much expect there to be resistance growing and discontent growing that will be resolved one way or another.
“I don’t know which way but Russian history is full of unexpected outcomes.”
Speaking about Putin’s decision to invade, Mr Kozyrev said: “It’s horrific but it’s not irrational. To understand why the invasion was rational for Putin, we have to step into his shoes.”
Mr Kozyrev, who now lives in Miami, believes Putin is not insane, but “simply wrong and immoral”.
It comes as reports suggested Russian forces made progress overnight from north-east Ukraine in their fight to reach the capital Kyiv.
In an update on Saturday morning, the Ministry of Defence (MoD) said fighting to the north-west of the Ukrainian capital Kyiv continued, with the bulk of Russian ground forces now about 25 kilometres from its centre.
Elements of the large Russian column north of Kyiv have dispersed, the MoD added, which it said is likely to support an attempt by the aggressors to encircle the city.
Kyiv mayor and former heavyweight boxing champion Vitali Klitschko believes there are nearly two million people still left in the city that is being attacked on several fronts.
He said Kyiv had enough vital supplies for a couple of weeks and supply lines remain open.
It is feared the capital could face the same fate as Mariupol which has encircled for days.
Mikhail Podoliak, adviser to Ukraine’s hero President Volodymyr Zelensky, said although Kyiv was under siege it was ready to fight.
He added: “The defence is well thought out and supply has been adjusted.”
Mr Podoliak vowed Kyiv’s defenders – troops and civil defence members – are “charged, focused and professional.”
He added: “The full political leadership of the country is in the capital.”
Ukraine says Moscow’s forces are killing more civilians than troops in artillery bombardments and air strikes on cities throughout the country.
It is believed more than 12,000 Russian soldiers have died in fighting while in excess of 2,000 Ukraine civilians have been killed. The toll on Kyiv’s troops is unknown.
CREDIT: https://www.mirror.co.uk
