Putin Loses Control as Moscow Panics - Jason Jay Smart

[TexasTowelie]

Moscow is no longer behaving like a capital that feels secure. Ukrainian strikes are no longer just damaging targets inside Russia. They are changing how the Kremlin behaves, forcing tighter controls, deeper disruption, and a darker atmosphere inside the political center of power. When internet shutdowns, defensive measures, and lower visibility start shaping life in Moscow itself, the damage is no longer distant. Fear has moved inward.

That is what makes this moment more dangerous for Putin. Recent attacks have put pressure on Russian oil exports, strained one of the regime’s most important revenue streams, and intensified the stress already building inside the federal budget. Financial pressure at that level does not stay confined to economics. It spreads into elite calculations, emergency extraction from oligarchs, and rising distrust inside the ruling system.

The greater danger now lies inside the regime. A government can hide numbers for a while, but it cannot easily hide the behavior those numbers produce. Putin appears less exposed because the environment around him looks less secure. Moscow is acting less like a capital in command and more like a capital under strain. Ukraine’s physical damage matters. What matters even more is what that damage is now doing to the Kremlin itself.

CHAPTERS:
00:00 - Intro: Putin’s Regime Nears Collapse
01:19 - Putin’s Disappearance: The Kremlin’s Internal Threats
02:59 - Russia’s Oil Crisis: Ukraine Hits Putin’s Economy
05:11 - Kremlin Shakedowns: Putin Seizes Oligarch Assets
08:24 - Kremlin Civil War: FSB vs. Russian Military
10:39 - Ukraine’s Masterplan: Breaking the Putin Regime