Russian President Vladimir Putin's grip on power could be weakening, according to the head of Estonia's foreign intelligence service. Kaupo Rosin, Director General of the Estonian Foreign Intelligence Service, said that while a "street revolution" in Russia appears unlikely, the walls are closing in on the Kremlin leader.
Estonia's warning on Russia's position
Estonia, a small Baltic nation on Russia's border and a former Soviet republic, is now a member of NATO. The 32-member alliance, founded in 1949 to counter Soviet aggression, operates on a collective defence pledge, meaning an attack on one member is treated as an attack on all.
Rosin told the Telegraph: "There are certainly voices which express that he should keep going, but I think the voices which, let's say, urge [him] to maybe reconsider the situation are becoming stronger."
He added: "I think, objectively, Russia is in a very bad place at the moment, and many people understand this in Russia."
War setbacks and internal threats
Russia's conflict with Ukraine, now in its fourth year, has not followed the former KGB officer's plans. Russian forces have stalled in Ukraine, with the Kremlin making scant progress and struggling against drone strikes on sensitive targets inside its own borders.
Rosin stressed: "I would say, if something changes in Russia, then it will happen in a very rapid manner and we will all be surprised. It will be an overnight thing, if it ever happens."
Early in the war, the Wagner Group, a mercenary force led by Yevgeny Prigozhin, marched a convoy toward Moscow in an internal challenge to the Kremlin. The rebellion was suppressed, and Prigozhin later died in a mysterious plane crash.
Economic strain and rising discontent
Putin has also faced elevated inflation and a struggling economy, hit by sanctions and Ukrainian attacks. Rosin noted: "We see that overall unhappiness levels with this war are increasing in all echelons of society, starting from normal people and throughout, up to the oligarchs."
He concluded: "More and more people do not want this war. The question is: what impact does this have on his [Putin's] decision-making?"
