Kremlin Already Finding ‘Toxic’ Vladimir Putin’s Replacement: Ukraine Official

The Kremlin has already begun searching for Russian President Vladimir Putin’s replacement amid Moscow’s Ukraine war, a Ukrainian intelligence official claimed.

Russia launched its “special military operation” on Ukraine in February last year with the aim of a quick victory against the country but Kyiv’s strong defence flanked by Western military aid significantly blunted Vladimir Putin’s hopes.

As both sides continue to fight in the eastern part of Ukraine, confidence in Vladimir Putin for Russians has remained steadfast despite the mounting losses, weakening economy and deaths of over 160,000 Russian troops.

But a Ukrainian intelligence office said that dissatisfaction against Vladimir Putin in Russia is growing. Andriy Yusov, a spokesperson for Ukraine’s military intelligence, said a search has started for Vladimir Putin’s successor at a time when “the circle around Putin is narrowing” because the Russian leader is becoming “more and more toxic.”

“Within the Kremlin, there is more and more dissatisfaction with what is happening. There is an increasingly gloomy understanding of the prospects, specifically the geopolitical catastrophe of the Putin regime. Thus, the search for Putin’s successor is already underway,” Andriy Yusov said adding that Vladimir Putin will not be involved in the process.

However, he did not name any potential candidates to follow Vladimir Putin. Questions about Vladimir Putin’s future also arose as the International Criminal Court (ICC) issued an arrest warrant for the Russian president on charges of war crimes.