A former Russian minister has claimed that Vladimir Putin could be ousted by an internal Kremlin coup.
Andrei Kozyrev, who was Boris Yeltsin’s leading diplomat, believes key figures in the Kremlin may be plotting the Russian President’s downfall.
It comes as Russian troops edge towards Ukraine’s capital Kyiv, with reports overnight stating the bulk of Russian forces are now just 25km from the city following a night of intense fighting.
But Mr Kozyrev, who was foreign minister from 1990 to 1996, believes Putin could soon be ousted with an “armed escort either to the grave or to retirement.”
This is because, according to Mr Kozyrev, Russian forces are bogged down in Ukraine and the country is isolated due to sanctions.
According to Daily Express, he said: “Many Russian tsars were killed. Many were dismissed one way or the other.
“Even in the Soviet Union, there were ways; Stalin was said to have been poisoned, Khrushchev was just escorted out of the Kremlin.
“With Putin, I very much expect there to be resistance growing and discontent growing that will be resolved one way or another.
“I don’t know which way but Russian history is full of unexpected outcomes.”
Speaking about Putin’s decision to invade, Mr Kozyrev said: “It’s horrific but it’s not irrational. To understand why the invasion was rational for Putin, we have to step into his shoes.”
Mr Kozyrev, who now lives in Miami, believes Putin is not insane, but “simply wrong and immoral”.
It comes as reports suggested Russian forces made progress overnight from north-east Ukraine in their fight to reach the capital Kyiv.
