Putin Faces Growing Desperation and Paranoia: Latest News Today
Russian President Vladimir Putin is reportedly facing increasing desperation and paranoia as he cancels public celebrations over safety concerns. His critics, including nationalist pro-war bloggers, have been publicly criticizing his actions in Ukraine, pointing out the growing desperation and paranoia of the Russian leader (The Guardian, 2 days ago).
Recently, Russia claimed that Ukraine attempted to assassinate Putin in an overnight drone attack on the Kremlin (NBC News, 17 hours ago). This came amidst other claims by Russia that Ukraine had targeted Putin in an assassination bid, reserving the right to respond (Hindustan Times, 21 hours ago). In contrast, the Ukrainian President, Volodymyr Zelensky, has denied ordering a Moscow drone strike on Putin, stating that, “we fight on our territory” (The Guardian, 15 hours ago).
Russia has been accused of stepping up its propaganda war with the claim that Ukraine targeted Putin (The Independent, 11 hours ago). At the same time, a Putin ally has called for Zelensky to be ‘eliminated’ after the Kremlin ‘attack’ in the ongoing Ukraine-Russia war (The Independent, 31 mins ago).
The scale of Russian casualties in Ukraine signals trouble for Putin, with more than 100,000 casualties, including over 20,000 killed, in Ukraine since December, as stated by the White House (NBC News, 1 day ago). Furthermore, Putin has been warned of arrest if he attends an upcoming summit, and the Kremlin rejected the U.S. claim of 100,000 Russian casualties in the last five months of fighting in the area around Bakhmut (CNBC, 1 day ago).
Despite the ongoing conflict between Ukraine and Russia, Putin seems to be facing challenges not only internationally but also domestically, with growing discontent and criticism from his own people. While the situation continues to evolve, the Russian President’s desperation and paranoia appear to be escalating, as reflected in the recent accusations and cancellations of public events.
