Putin’s decline?
Six months have passed since Russia started its special military operation in Ukraine and so far the results haven’t been good. With the recent victories of Kyiv on the battlefield, cracks are appearing in Putin’s strong façade.
Putin has faced all sorts of protests about the military intervention in Ukraine. Even Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi, who in the past had excellent relations with Putin, directly criticized the war started by Russia.
“I know that today’s era is not an era of war, and I have spoken to you on the phone about this,” Modi told Putin during a summit in Samarkand on September 16, according to Reuters. The Indian Prime Minister highlighted the need to find a path towards peace in the following days.
During that same summit in Samarkand, Putin met with Chinese President Xi Jinping. According to the BBC, Russia admitted Xi’s “concern” about the ongoing conflict.
A few days later, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan, declared to PBS that he expects that “lands which were invaded will be returned to Ukraine.” In the past, the Turkish leader had always been on good terms with Putin not only seems to have only weakened relationships around the globe. At home, the Russian President is facing harsher criticism than he had never seen before.
Dozens of city council members in Moscow, St. Petersburg, and elsewhere have signed a petition for Putin to step down due to the disastrous consequences of his “special operation”. According to DW, some have gone as far as accusing him of treason.
Even people that are ideologically close to Putin have started to second-guess him. The New York Times highlights pro-Russia Chechen leader Ramzan Kadyrov commented over Telegram on “mistakes” made during the conflict in Ukraine. This criticism has even been shared on mainstream Russian television, something very rare, to say the least.
The Communist Party of Russia, generally loyal to Putin, also has publicly stated its discontent. Party leader Gennady Zyuganov has demanded that the government officially declare war on Ukraine and start a “general mobilization”.
Zyuganov’s wish seems to be coming true with Putin’s recent call for a “partial mobilization”, including calling military reservists to the front and a financial boost to weapons manufacturing, according to CNBC.
