Putin was forced to admit it: expert assesses whether the fuel crisis will provoke elite protests against the war
Political expert and Ukrainian Armed Forces serviceman Oleksandr Musiienko said that the consequences of Ukraine’s strikes on Russian oil refineries can no longer be ignored even by Putin, and that he will not be able to resolve the fuel crisis quickly, reports Politeka.
He spoke about this in his blog.
According to the expert, Putin stated that Russia’s difficulties with petroleum products would likely be overcome, apparently relying on imports. However, high oil prices caused by hostilities in the Middle East are currently working against Russia. Therefore, he notes, hopefully no one will sell anything to Russia, and if someone does, it will be at the highest possible prices, without any discounts.
“The Kremlin built its wartime budget on the expectation of extraordinary revenues, especially in connection with military operations against Iran. Obviously, Putin expected money to flow like a river and believed there would be no problems financing his neo-imperial military ambitions. But it turned out differently. Problems are emerging, purchases now have to be made, which is a negative factor for the budget. The fuel crisis needs to be resolved, but refineries are simply idle and failing to meet their objectives, while Putin’s oligarchic circle is losing profits,” Oleksandr Musiienko explains.
According to the expert, oligarchs have not yet fully understood the situation. One of them is currently writing absurd essays in the style of Surkov about Russia’s sovereignty, rights, and the need for respect from the West. This is despite the fact, he emphasizes, that this person spent his entire life living in the West while simply extracting resources from Russia, yet still fails to change his way of thinking.
“He supposedly supports ending the war, but at the same time argues that some kind of justice is needed. This is the same Putin-style delusion, only distorted in a way designed to appeal to the Western world. Obviously, his rhetoric is less aggressive so that sanctions are not imposed, which indicates that the Russian oligarchy and Russian clans have not yet been hurt enough to be ready to remove Putin. They currently do not have enough influence to dictate terms to the Russian dictator. After all, the ‘hawks’ within Putin’s circle are still winning for now. And these people remain willing to continue bearing losses, which means these losses must continue to be inflicted. There is simply no other way,” Oleksandr Musiienko states.