Vladimir Putin is losing his grip on Russia

His every move to preserve power accelerates decay, writes a former senior official in the Russian government

IT ARRIVED NOT as an event but as a sensation, felt everywhere at once: Vladimir Putin has led Russia into a dead-end and nobody has a map for what comes next. The first manifestation is a shift in the language used by senior officials, regional governors and businessmen: they have stopped using the first-person plural when talking about the actions of authorities in the country.

This article appeared in the By Invitation section of the print edition under the headline “Anonymous”

From the May 9th 2026 edition

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