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April 3, 2023 | 12:03 p.m
Russia’s Vladimir Putin could be eliminated by his own militaries, fed up with catastrophic casualties in Ukraine, which would finally end the war, according to a former CIA official.
James Olson, a distinguished former counterintelligence chief, described Putin as a “walking dead” in an exclusive candid interview with The Sun.
“It’s not going well at all. I think Putin is in a no-win situation now,” said the 30-year veteran of the spy agency.
According to Olson, Putin will never agree to withdraw his forces from Ukraine until they take full control of the four partially occupied regions illegally annexed by Russia in the autumn.
“If Putin stays in power, there will be a long war because he won’t give up – but I don’t think Putin will stay in power,” Olson said. “I believe he will be removed from power.”
Olson said the 70-year-old Russian leader could either be deposed or killed in an uprising.
“I think Putin will be eliminated,” he said. “I wouldn’t rule out murder”
According to a former CIA official, Russian President Vladimir Putin could be ousted or assassinated by his military leaders who want to end the war. AP
The retired spymaster and author, who is a professor of international affairs at Texas A&M University, said Russia’s military leaders are “disgusted” by Ukraine’s high casualty rate.
If Putin’s disaffected generals turned on him, Olson said, he would be “a walking dead.”
“He wouldn’t survive that. I think Putin’s elimination is more likely than a military defeat,” he said.
An update from the UK Ministry of Defense on Sunday says Russia has suffered around 200,000 casualties in Ukraine since February 2022 – a figure that includes both soldiers killed and wounded.
James Olson, former CIA counterintelligence chief, predicted that the war in Ukraine would end once Putin left. APSIA
Ukraine’s latest estimate is higher, as the country’s defense ministry put the number of “eliminated” Russian personnel at more than 175,000.
According to reports, Putin expected to conquer Ukraine in three days in February 2022. More than 13 months later, his troops are bogged down in a bloody swamp, fighting street to street for control of small towns to the east.
According to Olson, Putin’s fate is inextricably linked to the outcome of the war that could ultimately doom him.
“I believe there is a strong undercurrent of opposition to Putin in the military, in the intelligence services and among the oligarchs,” he said.
According to the UK MoD, Russia has suffered around 200,000 casualties in Ukraine – a figure that includes both soldiers killed and wounded. AP Olson said Russian military leaders were “disgusted” by the high death toll in Ukraine that could lead to Putin’s assassination. ZUMAPRESS.com
Olson predicted that “some patriotic Russians will decide they need to eliminate Putin” to end the war of attrition.
“Putin is bleeding Russia dry and he can’t do that forever,” the former counterintelligence chief observed.
Olson also warned that if Putin holds on to power much longer, there is a real risk that the war will spill over Ukraine’s borders and engulf neighboring Moldova, which is widely believed to be in Russia’s crosshairs.
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