“Putin fears defeat in Ukraine could endanger his life” — The Economist

**"Putin fears defeat in Ukraine could cost him his life" — The Economist**

Vladimir Putin has chosen to escalate the war against Ukraine. The Russian leader is preparing to send hundreds of thousands of additional Russian troops to the front. The Economist, citing sources within the Kremlin, reports that Putin is worried that defeat could cost him his life.

"They'll hang me," President Putin has told his inner circle.

According to the publication's source, Putin is not interested in continuing the war at the current pace. Because the Russian army has not been able to achieve a decisive breakthrough, that is, a turning point, on the front for several years.

"Scenarios based on inertia are not beneficial for the Kremlin. Such an approach leads to a sharp expenditure of economic resources and political capital," said one of the members of the Russian political elite.

The sources also noted that Russia may send an additional 300-400 thousand military personnel to the front. It is noteworthy that this does not require a new mobilization. Therefore, the decree on mobilization, which was announced in the fall of 2022, has not yet expired.

Under the new system, the task of recruiting people into the army may be assigned to regional authorities. It is expected that local officials will use various methods of pressure to prevent discontent from being directed to the center.

According to the publication, testing of this approach has begun in the Penza region. Residents of the region have long complained about various pressures from law enforcement agencies. Videos of Penza men being grabbed from the streets and forcibly sent to war have become increasingly popular on the networks.

**Second measure**

According to its sources, Russia may further escalate the escalation by intensifying hybrid operations against states supporting Ukraine. At the same time, Western intelligence agencies have expressed concern that Russia is planning attacks on European arms factories that supply Kiev with weapons.

The publication also said that Putin is stepping up pressure on those who oppose his policies. The main reason for this is not that the opposition is a direct threat to the president's power, but that he needs to demonstrate his strength. One of the interlocutors said that Putin also perceived the visit of the director of the US Central Intelligence Agency to Moscow as a sign of weakness.

**Depressed mood among the Russian elite**

According to sources for The Economist, the Russian elite is currently in a very pessimistic mood. The problem is connected with the state of the economy, failures on the front lines and the many factors that Russia is losing due to the conflict. One of the sources called the war a failure regardless of the outcome.

The aftermath of the attack on an oil refinery near Moscow.

However, sources have stressed that economic or political problems do not pose a direct threat to Putin's rule for now. The Russian president has stressed that he has both sufficient financial resources to continue the war and a powerful repressive apparatus to suppress dissent.