"The Facade Has Crumbled": There Has Been A Sharp Shift In Sentiment Among Russia's Elite
4- 29.08.2026, 18:39
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Putin's inner circle is bracing for turbulence.
Five years into Russia’s full-scale aggression against Ukraine, the Russian elite has radically changed its attitude toward the war and the economic situation in the country.
People who, until recently, remained calm and believed in the stability of the Russian economy are now point to the lack of money and predict a catastrophe.
This was reported by Russian journalist and author of the book *The Entire Kremlin Army* Mikhail Zygar in an interview with “Meduza”.
Zygar noted that in the first months after the start of Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine, panic was indeed observed among members of the elite, but it subsided fairly quickly. Instead, people began saying that the war should not have been started, but since it is underway, they would now have to fight.
Until this year, there had been a prevailing sense in these circles that the Russian economy could withstand Western pressure and that sanctions were not causing critical damage to the system. Now, however, the situation has changed.
“This year, the facade suddenly crumbled, and this average source began to say, ‘That’s it, it’s over,’” the journalist stated.
Currently, some are predicting turbulence, while others foresee a catastrophe. The host asked Zygar whether the large-scale Ukrainian attacks on targets in Russia had made an impression on Russian dictator Vladimir Putin and his inner circle, to which the journalist replied that these strikes had angered Putin and upset the elite.
At the same time, according to Zygar, the dictator continues to adhere to his previous logic, while his inner circle’s views on the situation have changed.
The journalist added that even before the strikes on the Wildberries warehouses, the elite was in a bad mood because they were running out of money.
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