Vladimir Putin is facing “the beginning of the end” following the aborted coup attempt by the mercenary Wagner Group, according to a former MI6 chief.
The Russian president faced the biggest ever challenge to his authority at the weekend after Wagner boss Yevgeny Prigozhin accused Moscow of killing 2,000 of his men and warned that those responsible would be “punished”.
In a televised address to the Russian people on Saturday morning, Putin accused the Wagner Group of “a stab in the back” and vowed that those responsible would be punished.
However, a deal was brokered on Saturday night which saw Prigozhin call off his assault on Moscow and reportedly agree to live in neighbouring Belarus.
Asked about his assessment of the unfolding situation, Chris Steele, the former head of the MI6 in Russia, told LBC: “I do think this is the beginning of the end for Putin.
″I’ve said it before and I’ve been proven wrong, but I do think this is the beginning of the disintegration of Russia. Russia is almost becoming ungovernable at the moment, I would argue.”
He added: “I think we’re in for a really rough ride.”
Meanwhile, UK officials Russia is struggling to cope with “multiple threats” on the battlefield as Ukraine’s counter-offensive gathers pace.
In their latest update on the progress of the war in Ukraine, the Ministry of Defence (MoD) said Kyiv “has gained impetus in its assaults” around the key town of Bakhmut.
“In a multi-brigade operation, Ukrainian forces have made progress on both the northern and southern flanks of the town,” the MoD said.
In addition, UK officials said this is “little evidence that Russia maintains any significant ground forces operational level reserves which could be used to reinforce against the multiple threats it is now facing”.