Cracks are emerging amongst the Russian elite as oligarchs begin to turn on an increasingly isolated Vladimir Putin and the war effort.
Opinion polls suggest the Russian public continually back the invasion of Ukraine but a new report claims Moscow’s elite are becoming more and more divided over it.
A report from The Washington Post said that “cracks” were beginning to emerge in the Russian elite, especially amongst those who had seen their fortunes destroyed by the war.
They spoke to several Russian billionaires, senior bankers, a senior official and former officials, who described how Putin was becoming “increasingly isolated” and dominated by a small group of hardline officials.
Dividing lines among Russia ’s oligarchs are becoming more marked as many have seen billions of pounds vanish from their fortunes almost overnight.
The mood amongst the wealthy elite was described as “terrible” at one point.
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Even in the face of growing threats from Putin to anyone who criticises the war, more and more oligarchs are speaking out.
So far at least four oligarchs who made their fortunes under President Boris Yeltsin have fled Russia, and four senior officials have resigned.
The most significant was Anatoly Chubais, who gave Putin his first ever job in the Kremlin.
Others, like Russia’s central bank chief, Elvira Nabiullina, tried to resign but were reportedly told by Putin they couldn't jump ship as he tries to keep the elite in line.
Some of Russia’s elite like Vladimir Lisin and Vladimir Potanin have publicly spoken out against the war effort and magnate Oleg Deripaska slammed it as “insanity”.
However, most have focused their criticisms on the war as opposed to Putin himself.
One tycoon told The Post he expected the coming crackdown to be “cannibalistic” compared with the “vegetarian period” of past years.
However, the discontent is reportedly spreading from Russia’s oligarchs to parts of its security establishment.
One source said: “They all want to have a normal life. They have homes, children, grandchildren. They don’t need war.
“They’re all not suicidal. They all want to have a good life. They want their children to have everything and be able to travel to the most beautiful places.”
However, the elite find themselves increasingly trapped, with their fortunes gutted, and reliant on Putin for their future.
“No one can say ‘That’s it’ and then slam the door,” said Vadim Belyaev, the exiled former main owner of Otkritie, Russia’s biggest private bank until its takeover by the state in 2017. “Everyone will continue working right up to the next Hague tribunal,”
This all comes as reports suggest Putin is about to ratchet up the conflict and declare all-out war in the next few days, amid pressure from senior military officials.
Top military brass in Moscow have reportedly been left “outraged” by failings in the war so far and are demanding “payback”.
They are pushing Putin to stop calling the invasion a “special operation” and instead declare all-out war.
This would allow the Kremlin to mobilise the entire Russian population and drum up mass support for the war.
A source close to Russian military chiefs told The Telegraph that: “The military are outraged that the blitz on Kyiv failed.
“People in the army are seeking payback for failures of the past, and they want to go further in Ukraine.”
When the invasion began, Russia’s media were barred from even using the word “war”, amid claims Russia thought the fighting would be over in a matter of weeks.
But now Defence Secretary Ben Wallace said on Thursday that Putin was likely to announce a “greater call to arms” on Russia’s Victory Day celebrations on May 9.
The minister is just the latest to voice warnings that the annual parade could be used to announce the next stage of the war.
Speaking to LBC he said Putin had “failed” most of his objectives in the war so far, but added: “I would not be surprised . . . that he is probably going to declare on May Day that ‘we are now at war with the world’s Nazis and we need to mass mobilise the Russian people’.”
He went on: “Putin, having failed in nearly all objectives, may seek to consolidate what he’s got … and just be a sort of cancerous growth within the country.
“We have to help Ukrainians effectively get the limpet off the rock and keep the momentum pushing them back.”
