Putin Faces ‘Most Precarious Moment’ of His Decades in Power: Russia Expert

• Putin faces the “most precarious moment” of his time in power, Angela Stent told Insider.
• Stent, a top Russia expert, said Putin’s grip on power has slipped because of Russia’s mounting failures in Ukraine.
• The Russian army appears “incompetent,” Stent said, and the situation “looks bad” for Putin.

Russian President Vladimir Putin has ruled over his country with an iron fist for more than two decades, brutally cracking down on dissent while cementing his control over the levers of power in Russia. Those who’ve opposed the Russian leader have often landed behind bars or wound up dead. But Russia’s mounting failures in Ukraine have presented novel challenges to Putin’s authority.

Angela Stent, a top Russia expert who served in the Office of Policy Planning at the State Department from 1999 to 2001 and as a national intelligence officer for Russia and Eurasia at the National Intelligence Council from 2004 to 2006, told Insider that “his grip on power is clearly not as strong as it was on February 23,” the day before Putin launched Russia’s unprovoked invasion of Ukraine.

The war hasn’t gone Putin’s way. The Pentagon said in August that Russian casualties could be as high as 80,000, and that number has likely risen in recent months. In an effort to address Russia’s manpower problems, Putin recently announced a partial military mobilization, as well as various stop-loss measures, but things are not going well. There’s been local resistance to the draft, and tens of thousands of Russians have fled the country. 

Putin also announced the annexation of four Ukrainian regions last week, despite the fact that Russia does not fully control or occupy these regions. In the time since, Ukrainian forces have recaptured territory in these areas. Recent reporting suggests that even members of Putin’s inner circle have begun to openly criticize the botched invasion, an action that can be dangerous and even deadly.  

The Russian army appears “incompetent,” Stent said, and the situation “looks bad” for Putin. “This is definitely the most precarious moment” in Putin’s 22 years in power, she said, adding that what is happening is entirely “self-inflicted.”

“He didn’t have to go in and invade Ukraine in February, but obviously he made the decision that this was the right time to do it,” Stent, now a Georgetown professor and senior fellow at the Brookings Institution, said. 

Even though the war hasn’t gone…