The Kremlin is growing dissatisfied with Putin: the war against Ukraine is called a catastrophic mistake – Bloomberg

A growing number of senior officials in the Kremlin are questioning Vladimir Putin’s decision to unleash a war against Ukraine. Bloomberg.

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According to the agency, the ranks of critics remain limited, dispersed among high-ranking positions in government and public business.

They believe the invasion was a catastrophic mistake that will set the country back years.

Sources of the agency said that they do not yet see any chances that the Russian president will change his course.

They also consider it unlikely that anyone will challenge Putin.

Increasingly, they say, Putin is relying more and more on a shrinking circle of uncompromising advisers, rebuffing attempts by other officials to warn him of the dire economic and political consequences.

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In addition, some of the agency’s interlocutors share the fears of US intelligence officials that Putin may resort to limited use of nuclear weapons if he fails in a campaign that he considers his historic mission.

That said, Putin’s war remains deeply supported by most of the Russian elite, and many insiders publicly and privately support the Kremlin’s narrative that conflict with the West is inevitable and the economy is adapting to wide-ranging Western sanctions.

Public support also remains strong as the initial shock has given way to a sort of surreal stability in Russia.

Yet more and more senior officials are coming to the conclusion that Putin’s commitment to continuing the war will doom Russia to years of isolation and heightened tensions, paralyzing its economy, jeopardizing its security, and weakening its global influence.

Several major Russian businessmen have made veiled statements questioning the Kremlin’s strategy, but many powerful players are too afraid of crackdowns on dissent to voice their concerns publicly.

The Kremlin was surprised by the speed and scope of the reaction of the United States and its allies to a full-scale Russian invasion of Ukraine.

Senior officials tried to explain to Putin that the economic impact of the sanctions would be devastating, as they would undo two decades of growth and higher living standards that he achieved during his rule, people familiar with the situation said.

Agency sources say Putin shrugged off all warnings, saying that despite the high price Russia would pay, the West had left him no choice but to go to war.

According to them, Putin is still confident that society supports him, and Russians are ready to make years of sacrifice for the sake of his vision of national greatness.

Putin is determined to keep fighting, even as the Kremlin has had to scale back its ambitions from quickly capturing most of Ukraine to fighting for the Donbass.

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