Is A Putin Coup Finally Underway? Ukrainian Major General Kyrylo Budanov told Britain’s Sky News recently that a coup is currently underway in Russia. The coup, he said, is working to remove Russian President Vladimir Putin from office.
“It will eventually lead to the change of leadership of the Russian Federation,” he said. “This process has already been launched.
Budanov also expressed confidence in the ability of those believed to be undertaking the coup, predicting that they will be “impossible to stop.”
The 36-year-old Russian military intelligence chief said that the “breaking point” will be the second part of August, with most active combat situations coming to an end by the end of the year.
“As a result, we will renew Ukrainian power in all our territories that we have lost including Donbas and the Crimea,” he added.
His comments are significant, too, as Budanov correctly predicted that Russia would invade Ukraine earlier in the year while other members of the government in Kyiv remained skeptical about the likelihood of Putin pulling the trigger.
Rumors of Blood Cancer
The talk of a coup comes as rumors circulate that the Russian president is “very ill with blood cancer.”
An anonymous Russian oligarch closely connected to the Kremlin can be heard saying in an undercover recording that Vladimir Putin has several serious health conditions, including blood cancer. The recording was leaked and shared with New Lines magazine. It also revealed how Putin’s alleged blood cancer condition was causing a host of other medical problems that the Kremlin is actively working to hide.
The report from New Lines magazine suggested that Putin’s red and puffy face could be linked to his blood cancer. The 69-year-old Russian leader was also seen during the May 9 Victory Day parade in Moscow walking awkwardly, potentially hiding a limp after he underwent back surgery in October last year.
Putin experiencing major health problems would also explain why all meetings with world leaders in recent months were held at a 20ft-long table. Immunocompromised and unwell, the Russian president may be attempting to avoid a COVID-19 infection.
Can A Coup Happen?
Whether a coup is possible or likely in Russia is uncertain, but we do know that the Russian president has taken steps to stop a coup from happening.
In April, it was revealed that Putin could have removed over 100 Federal Security Bureau agents from their positions. One member of the country’s top intelligence agency was even sent to prison.
Sergei Beseda, who previously led the Russian Fifth Service, was placed under house arrest in March and then sent to the Lefortovo prison in Moscow.
The agents were reportedly removed from their positions as part of an effort to send a “very strong message” to elites in Russia that Putin takes the invasion of Ukraine seriously and is willing to exercise his power to stop people from undermining him.
The Russian president has cultivated an environment whereby a coup would have few incentives, would be hard to achieve, and would put everyone involved at risk.
A coup may be difficult, but with Putin’s reportedly failing health, low morale among the troops in Ukraine, and crippling Western sanctions against the country, it isn’t off the cards.
Jack Buckby is a British author, counter-extremism researcher, and journalist based in New York. Reporting on the U.K., Europe, and the U.S., he works to analyze and understand left-wing and right-wing radicalization, and reports on Western governments’ approaches to the pressing issues of today. His books and research papers explore these themes and propose pragmatic solutions to our increasingly polarized society.
