“Nobody knows who they’ll come for”: Russian elite gripped by fear over growing FSB influence
Fears are growing in Russian ruling circles over the expanding influence of the FSB and a new wave of repression. Representatives of the elite fear that the secret service has been given such broad powers that it is no longer possible to predict who will be targeted next.
This is reported by Bloomberg .
According to the agency’s interlocutors close to the Kremlin, one of the latest signs of increased repression was the accusations of terrorism against Telegram co-founder Pavel Durov.
For years, Vladimir Putin has struggled to balance between the security forces, who advocate for tight control, and those in power who focus primarily on economic issues. But now the balance is increasingly shifting in favor of the power bloc.
According to sources, the Kremlin is expanding control over business and society, and the FSB is gaining more and more influence. At the same time, some high-ranking officials are losing their positions.
Among them, the sources name Sergei Kiriyenko, who is responsible for domestic policy in the Kremlin. According to the agency, he has recently been criticized for the failures of Russian political operations in Armenia, Moldova and Hungary.
Political analyst Andrey Kolesnikov described the current role of the Russian special services as the de facto center of state control. According to him, political structures, the Foreign Ministry, and the economic bloc are increasingly turning into executors of decisions made with the interests of the security forces in mind.
Vladimir Putin has experience in the security services: he worked in the KGB and later headed the FSB. According to Bloomberg, the Russian president now increasingly relies on the security forces to maintain control over the country.
The strengthening of the role of the special services is taking place against the backdrop of the war against Ukraine. Ukrainian attacks on Russian oil refineries, defense industry enterprises, and logistics facilities are reaching deeper into Russian territory, creating additional problems for the Kremlin.
Senior Fellow at the Carnegie Russia-Eurasia Center, Tatyana Stanovaya, believes that there is growing concern among Russian elites about the system’s inability to effectively respond to the challenges posed by the war.
In her assessment, one of the key problems is the Russian leadership’s disconnect from reality. Putin’s focus on subjugating Ukraine is making it increasingly difficult to govern Russia itself.
Fear of repression is spreading not only among representatives of the upper echelons of power, but also among the Russian middle class.
Sociologist Ella Paneya described the sentiment this way: “Everyone is afraid because no one knows who they will come for.”
Recall that former Ukrainian Foreign Minister Volodymyr Ogryzko said that Russian elites have been given the opportunity to remove Vladimir Putin from power . In his opinion, this is facilitated by Russia’s economic problems, attacks on oil infrastructure, and the worsening situation around the temporarily occupied Crimea.
It was previously reported that Russian leader Vladimir Putin was faced with a choice between further escalation of the war or the start of negotiations with Ukraine. According to British military analyst Hamish de Bretton-Gordon, Moscow’s negotiating position is weaker now than it was a year ago.
Also follow “Pryamim” on Facebook , X , Telegram , and Instagram.