Putin ‘Exposed’ by Prigozhin’s Coup — Can He Keep Power?

In my latest post, titled “How Will Prigozhin’s Coup Affect Ukraine’s Counteroffensive?” I briefly outline some of the ways Yevgeny Prigozhin undermined Putin’s power in his “march for justice,” as he called it.

But I thought it would be worth outlining some of the ways Putin’s power has been undermined in a separate post, at more length, since Putin’s war machine entirely relies on his ability to maintain the perception of being in control both in Ukraine and domestically.

And this power seems to be substantially threatened.

Let me explain.

Photo by Valery Tenevoy on Unsplash

There are a number of ways Putin’s power has been undermined in Russia that are worth considering.

These include:

1. Weaknesses in Russian Morale
2. Cowardice in Russia’s Elite
3. Weakness in Russian Defense Capabilities
4. Weakness in Putin’s Resolve Against Prigozhin.

I’ll briefly discuss each in turn.

1. Weaknesses in Russian Morale

Putin has been building and fostering an ambivalent Russian public since he took power two decades ago.