Putin faces riots if the war drags on, analyst says

Protesters against mobilization in Moscow, September 21
Protesters against mobilization in Moscow, September 21
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Read also: Russian police detain hundreds of people at anti-mobilization protests

In an interview with NV on Sept. 23, political scientist Mykola Davydyuk described the best-and worst-case scenarios facing the Russian dictator in the near future.

Read also: About the death of Putin and his entire system

“The worst-case scenario for him would be riots,” said Davydyuk.

“He’s very afraid of that. That’s why he called it a partial mobilisation. It could lead to a coup in Russia – a truly miserable end to Putin’s rule, getting overthrown by your own supporters.

It would be challenging for him to quell riots and mutinies, even if he’s perfectly ready to order rioters to be shot.”

The best outcome Putin can hope for would be seizing the rest of Donbas, declaring victory, and returning to his usual MO of “blackmailing and threatening Ukraine with continuing the war.”

Read also: Russia has lost the war

According to Bloomberg, Russia is set to spend 43% more on defense and security next year than the budget initially called for.

Putin declared “partial” mobilization in Russia on Sept. 21, ostensibly planning to call-up 300,000 men to the Russian army.

Several Russian media later reported that up to 1.2 million men are going to get mobilized, with ethnic minorities across Russia bearing the brunt of the call-up.

Read the original article on The New Voice of Ukraine