The Economist reports Putin fears execution if he loses Ukraine war
This digest was compiled by AI from multiple sources — links to the originals are below.
Russian President Vladimir Putin has chosen further escalation in Ukraine and is preparing to send 300,000–400,000 more troops to the front, Kremlin-linked sources told The Economist. One source said Putin believes ending the war without securing all of Donbas would threaten his life, quoting him as saying, “They will hang me.” The escalation plan includes intensified hybrid operations against Ukraine’s allies and increased domestic repression.
Key Facts
- Putin plans to send 300,000–400,000 additional troops to the front without declaring a new mobilization, relying on a decree in force since September 2022.
- A new recruitment system is being tested in Penza Oblast, where men are detained on the streets and forcibly sent to war.
- Western intelligence services fear Russia will attack European factories producing weapons and military equipment for Ukraine.
- Putin may intensify repression against domestic opponents not because they threaten his power, but because he needs to demonstrate strength.
- Putin perceived the visit of the CIA director to Moscow as a sign of weakness.
Escalation Plans
Putin has chosen further escalation in Ukraine and is preparing to send several hundred thousand more Russians to the front, Kremlin-linked sources told The Economist. He intends to send 300,000–400,000 additional troops without announcing a new mobilization, since the mobilization decree has been in effect since September 2022. Regional authorities will be tasked with recruitment and will use pressure to keep discontent at the local level. The new system is already being tested in Penza Oblast, where men are detained on the streets and forcibly sent to war.
Hybrid Operations and Repression
Another direction of escalation may be intensified hybrid operations against Ukraine’s allies. Western intelligence services fear Russia will attack European factories producing weapons and military equipment for the Ukrainian Armed Forces. At the same time, they believe Putin does not want a direct military confrontation with NATO. Putin may also intensify repression against opponents of his policies inside Russia, not because they threaten his power, but because he needs to demonstrate strength. One source said Putin perceived the visit of the CIA director to Moscow as a sign of weakness.
Elite Mood
Gloomy moods prevail among the Russian elite, and the main problem is not the state of the economy or the lack of success at the front, but the time the country has lost because of the war, one insider said. Whatever the outcome, almost five years of fighting already look like a failure, the insider added. Another elite representative noted a growing feeling at the top that “the emperor has no clothes.” Neither economic difficulties nor political problems by themselves threaten Putin’s power: he still has enough resources and repressive tools to continue the war.
1 source
The Economist reports Putin fears execution if he loses Ukraine war
