US Intelligence: "Putin Unlikely to Lose Power... No Ceasefire in Sight"

Russian President Vladimir Putin is speaking at a meeting with United Nations Secretary-General Ant?nio Guterres at the Kremlin Palace in Moscow on April 26 (local time).
[Image source=Yonhap News]

[Asia Economy Reporter Seungjin Lee] CNN reported on the 21st (local time) that U.S. intelligence agencies believe President Vladimir Putin will not end the war due to internal public opinion.

U.S. intelligence agencies are skeptical that even if anti-war sentiment rapidly rises in Russia, it would influence President Putin to halt the war.

They also assess that since Putin has consolidated his power over more than 20 years in office, the likelihood of him losing real power in the short term is low.

Although the Russian military has suffered massive losses in this war, sources familiar with U.S. intelligence agencies explained that public support for the war remains high.

Most Russians do not fully understand the actual situation of the war due to the oppressive media environment. Protests that occurred widely in the early stages of the war were quickly suppressed with mass arrests.

There has been some discontent among the Russian elite whose overseas assets were seized, but there is no basis to expect that President Putin will lose power or change course.

A U.S. intelligence official said, "In my personal view, Putin is far from being at risk of removal."

The U.S. government is employing various measures to try to shift Russian public opinion about the war even slightly. Earlier this month, the Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) guided Russians concerned about the war on how to safely contact the CIA via social media.

Experts analyzed that while public sentiment may not make President Putin stop the war, it could influence decisions such as the issuance of a large-scale mobilization order.