Vladimir Putin is in a ‘very dangerous situation’ as dissatisfaction grows among economic, political and military elites, with an ‘Operation Twilight’ coup reportedly in the works
Vladimir Putin is said to be facing a coup from Russia’s elites.
Reports from Estonia suggest the Russian tyrant could face a power challenge dubbed ‘Operation Twilight’ as economic, political and military leaders turn on him to save their own wealth. Putin’s death could be staged as he is forced into lifelong isolation, it is claimed.
Experts say Putin is currently in a “very dangerous situation” as dissatisfaction grows among those who prop up his regime. Russian dissident Igor Eidman told The Sun that now, for the first time in decades, the interests of the ruling elite “fundamentally do not align with the dictator”.
Oligarchs and business magnates have long formed the bedrock of Putin’s grip on power in Russia. However, the country’s richest have seen their bank balances slashed since the invasion of Ukraine and subsequent economic sanctions.
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Russian political activist and war hardliner Maksim Kalashnikov has openly admitted that elites are turning on Putin. “Now our ruling [class] view the current top leadership as a toxic figure – not even an asset, but a liability,” he said.
“They very much want this war to end, for the return of the old good times, when one could freely travel to the West, not fear sanctions, sell hydrocarbons, and regain the European market.”
Russia’s defence spending hit £144bn in 2025 as the war in Ukraine rumbles on. Putin has turned to the country’s wealthiest for donations to keep the war machine in operation.
Eidman said: “They lived relaxed, comfortable lives of the wealthy. Now they are under constant stress. There is a constant budget deficit, and they are pressured to provide more funds.
“Corporations are forced to recruit, to create their own private military companies, to enlist their employees, and to push them into signing military contracts. In short, the demands never stop.”
Many now see the war itself as at an impasse. Grigory Kubatyan, war correspondent for Putin’s favourite newspaper Komsomolskaya Pravda, has admitted that Russia’s vast army is failing and said peace talks are now needed to end the conflict.
“The war must be won or ended to save lives,” he said. “Over the past four years, we haven’t been able or didn’t want to win. So we’ll have to negotiate. It’s impossible to wage war indefinitely. Our men on the front lines are heroic. But they are human beings, and they need rest.”
