A former CIA chief has revealed that a revolt inside the Kremlin to oust Vladimir Putin could be swift. Jack Devine told The Sun that he wouldn’t be surprised if President Putin “disappeared tomorrow”.
He said that President Putin’s own inner circle could be the ones to step in and oust the long-standing Russian leader. Earlier this month, President Putin, 71, announced he will stand again for a fifth term in office.
The re-election of Mr Putin in March next year is seen as inevitable, with opposition almost non-existent. He has already been in power in Russia longer than any ruler since Soviet dictator Josef Stalin.
READ MORE: Pro-Palestine marchers bring Oxford Street Christmas shopping to standstill
Mr Devine, who spent 32 years at the CIA, explained that the chances of a “palace coup” were increasing as the war in Ukraine grinds to a stalemate.
The 83-year-old spy chief said: “There’s always what we call a ‘Black Swan’ that appears from nowhere. Putin could disappear tomorrow and I wouldn’t be surprised if some element in the government had decided they were going to take executive action.
“But failing a ‘Black Swan’ I believe his troubles begin when there’s a stalemate and that’s right now. I don’t think it’ll be an uprising. I think it’ll be what we might call a palace coup.”
Mr Putin has already faced an armed uprising from Wagner chief Yevgeny Prigozhin, a spate of sabotage attacks from anti-Russia agents and survived several alleged assassination attempts.
Mr Devine said that the moment the Russian leader invaded Ukraine, he had “sowed his political demise”. He added that the war will become “increasingly less popular” as the Russian president throws more soldiers into battle.
The ex-CIA chief noted: “He hasn’t been driven out of Ukraine, but a standstill is not a victory. The Ukrainians aren’t going to give them territory. Putin’s not going to withdraw.
“They have to wind down, when everybody realises there’s no hope for Putin to win. He’s not going to lose in the technical sense.
“He’s not going to be driven back into Russia. Anybody waiting for that has false hopes.
“But I don’t think it’s too far off. I think next year we’ll see almost a permanent stalemate.”
