Former Moscow CIA chief Daniel Hoffman claims that Russian Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu, an ally of Putin’s, may be a key figure in the uprising against Putin | The secret plot to oust Russian President Vladimir Putin may already be underway, according to a CIA source
Allies of Russian President Vladimir Putin may pounce on him while they wait to see if Russia’s invasion of Ukraine fails, they stand ready and plan to oust him. The secret plot to oust Russian President Vladimir Putin may already be under way, according to a CIA source.
Former Moscow CIA chief Daniel Hoffman claims that Russian Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu, an ally of Putin, may be a key figure in the 69-year-old president’s uprising. The plot will be highly secretive, to remove the possibility that Putin will uncover the plot and kill the plots to oust him. “No one will ask, ‘Hey Vladimir, do you want to leave?’ “They will hit him with a hammer in the head,” Hoffman told the Daily Beast.
Hoffman said there are three key players to keep an eye on if Putin is replaced, and Nikolai Petroshav, head of Putin’s Security Council, may be at the top of the list. The others are Alexander Bortnikov, director of Russia’s secret intelligence agency FSB, and Sergei Shoigu, defense minister who is considered by some to be the most likely replacement.
However, if Putin is ousted, Ronald Marx, another former CIA agent, fears there could be a huge power struggle in Russia, with chaos unfolding in Moscow. “It’s not going to hell right away. We’m not talking about tanks on the street right away, but what you’re probably going to see is among the guys around him, there will be a struggle to take that role,” he told the Daily Beast.