Ex-Minister warns Russia’s coup could put Vladimir Putin ‘to the grave or retire’ – World News

As Russian troops advance towards the Ukrainian capital Kyiv, former foreign minister Andrei Kozyrev claims Vladimir Putin could be ousted by a Kremlin coup as domestic tensions rise.

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Ukraine: Putin declares operation going as planned

A former Russian minister has claimed that Vladimir Putin could be overthrown by an internal Kremlin coup.

Andrei Kozyrev, Boris Yeltsin’s top diplomat, believes that key figures in the Kremlin may be plotting to bring down the Russian President.

It comes as Russian troops advance towards the Ukrainian capital of Kyiv, with overnight reports that most Russian forces are now just 25 kilometers from the city after a night of intense fighting.

But Mr. Kozyrev, who served as foreign minister from 1990 to 1996, believes Putin could soon be ousted with an “armed escort to the grave or retirement”.

This is because, according to Kozyrev, Russian forces are bogged down in Ukraine and the country is isolated due to sanctions.

I said Time: “Many Russian tsars were killed. Many people have been fired in one way or another.

“Even in the Soviet Union, there were ways; It is assumed that Stalin has been poisoned, Khrushchev has just been escorted out of the Kremlin.

“With Putin, I very much expect there will be growing resistance and growing discontent that will be resolved in one way or another.

“I don’t know which way, but Russian history is full of unexpected endings.”

Speaking about Putin’s decision to invade, Mr. Kozyrev said: “It’s appalling but not irrational. To understand why invasion is justified for Putin, we must put our feet in his shoes.”

Mr Kozyrev, who now lives in Miami, believes Mr Putin is not insane, but just “wrong and immoral”.

It comes as reports indicate that Russian forces have made overnight progress from northeastern Ukraine in the fight towards the capital Kyiv.

In an update on Saturday morning, the Ministry of Defense (MoD) said fighting northwest of the Ukrainian capital Kyiv continued, with the majority of Russia’s ground forces now miles from their centres. about 25 km.

Elements of the large Russian column north of Kyiv have dispersed, the MoD added, likely supporting the aggressors’ attempt to encircle the city, the MoD added.

The mayor of Kyiv and former heavyweight boxing champion Vitali Klitschko believes there are almost two million people left in the city that is under attack on multiple fronts.

He said Kyiv had enough supplies for a couple of weeks, and supply lines remained open.

It was feared that the capital could face the same fate as Mariupol which had been besieged for days.

Mikhail Podoliak, an adviser to Heroic President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelensky, said that although Kyiv is under siege, they are still ready to fight.

He added: “The defense has been well thought out and the supply has been adjusted.”

Mr Podoliak claimed that Kyiv’s defenders – the military and members of the civil defense – were “competent, focused and professional.”

He added: “The full political leadership of the country is in the capital.”

Ukraine says Moscow’s forces are killing more civilians than troops in shelling and air strikes on cities across the country.

It is believed that more than 12,000 Russian soldiers died in the fighting while more than 2,000 Ukrainian civilians were killed. The number of Kyiv’s troops is unknown.

Meanwhile, the British government is intending to increase pressure on the Kremlin with plans to ban luxury exports to Russia in the latest move to isolate Putin.

Details of the plan will be released in the coming days, Downing Street said.

It comes as Boris Johnson joined other G7 leaders on Friday in pledging to further increase pressure on the Russian President’s regime.

The group agreed to take steps to deny Russia “most-favored nation” status for key products, which No 10 said would significantly reduce the ability of Russian businesses to export.