Famous Russian chess player Garry Kasparov explained what he believes will lead to Russian President Vladimir Putin’s downfall.
Kasparov shared that being on the outs of his inner circle in a “palace coup," is key. Speaking to CNN’s Paula Reid, the political activist said that anti-Kremlin sentiment is building in Russia amid continuous backlash of its invasion of Ukraine.
“Eventually, yes,” Kasparov said. He then outlined, “the order of moves that cannot be reversed.”
“First, the Russian public and Russian elite, they have to recognize the war is lost,” he said. “The bad news coming from Ukraine will inspire more people to rise because economic hardship will increase.”
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“So, military defeat in Ukraine, social-economic revolt and then you will have conditions, the right conditions, for a palace coup,” Kasparov predicted. “Because many of Putin’s inner circle will be looking for a scapegoat and it’s always a dictator who should be blamed for all the failures.”
According to him, Putin knows losing the war on Ukraine “is not an option for him." Instead, Kasparov said that "it’s a matter of political survival and in many cases … of physical survival."
“That’s why he has to pretend he is winning the war.”
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