When will Putin be ousted?
With all that is happening in Europe, many of us are asking ourselves how much longer can Putin possibly be in power? If Dragonfly's calculations, which are expert consultants in intelligence and security analysis, are accurate, Vladimir Putin may still be in power for two more years.
Dragonfly's predictions about Putin were made public in a briefing published by British media such as the Daily Mirror or The Sun. One of the main conclusions is that on February 24, the Russian president risked his future with the invasion of Ukraine.
The intelligence analysts of the company Dragonfly already predicted that Vladimir Putin would carry out this "special military operation" (as the Russian government describes it) against those who were assured that the war would not occur.
Dragonfly predicts that Putin will not last more than two years in office, especially if Western economic sanctions against Russia lead to a financial crisis in the country.
"It’s likely to highly likely that President Putin will not be in the position he is within the next two years,” said Dragonfly, as reported by The Sun.
Dragonfly maintains that the military offensive against Ukraine has been a "toxic" move for the circle closest to Vladimir Putin .
Since almost the beginning of the Russian offensive in Ukraine, both the European Union and the United States have moved quickly and jointly to block and suffocate Russia economically.
These sanctions are already making a dent in the financial viability of the country's most affluent, who are ultimately crucial supporters of President Putin.
Dragonfly points directly to half a dozen of Vladimir Putin's allies whose loyalty could depend on his remaining in power. They are oligarchs or senior leaders or both simultaneously (which is quite common in the ecosystem of Russian power).
There are six key figures who Putin must keep happy: Sergei Naryshkin (Head of the Foreign Intelligence Service), Sergei Shoigu (Minister of Defense, pictured), Alexander Bortnikov (Former Head of the Internal Security Service of the Federal Service of the Russian Federation), Nikolai Patrushev (Head of the Security Council of Russia), Sergei Chemezov (Head of the state company Rostec) and Igor Sechin (CEO of the oil company Rosneft).
Of course, if Vladimir Putin leaves power, it will not be violent or through an old-style military coup.
According to Dragonfly, “What we would be more likely to see a group of squat men in ill-fitting suits walking into the Kremlin. President Putin then being explained as either ill or having to step down for other reasons – family reasons and so on."
In fact, according to the Daily Mirror, speculation has already begun about the state of Putin's health -both mental and physical.
Putin's shielding and the power system in force in Russia would make a withdrawal for medical or personal reasons quite easy to pull off.
Per Dragonfly, confidence in Vladimir Putin (among his political and military collaborators) has been lost due to the Ukraine war dragging on. The Russians are losing many soldiers, and even a good number of generals and commanders have died.
Dragonfly's predictions may come true, as they were with the Ukraine invasion. Or perhaps their analysis is simply Western propaganda in the hopes of weakening Putin and that it all becomes a self-fulfilling prophecy.
Putin has been in power since 1999, and leaders like him are difficult to push aside. Two years to his final days may be a rather optimistic prediction made by his enemies. Although it is also true that no one is eternal.