A former American intelligence officer believes that Putin will be overthrown in a coup.

Russian dictator Vladimir Putin is likely to be ousted from power in a coup over the war in Ukraine, which has “reached a stalemate”, former CIA chief Jack Devine has warned. According to The Sun, according to the former head of the CIA, he would not be surprised if the Russian tyrant “disappears tomorrow.”

Experts have warned that Putin may not live to see his next birthday as he would “commit suicide” rather than face the humiliation of the coup.

But the likelihood of a coup from his inner circle increases as he faces the prospect of a “permanent deadlock” in Ukraine, Devine said.

“It will be a surprise. There is always what we call a ‘black swan’ (a theory that considers difficult to predict and rare events that have significant consequences – ) that appears out of nowhere. Putin could disappear tomorrow, and I would not be surprised if some element in the government will decide that he is going to take executive action,” he said.

At the same time, Devine added, if there is no “black swan”, Putin’s problems will begin when he reaches a dead end, which is exactly what is happening now.

“I don’t think it will be an uprising. I think it will be what we can call a palace coup.”

Devine believes Putin is becoming increasingly unpredictable and dangerous – and his invasion of Ukraine has “sown his political downfall.”

In his opinion, the tyrant’s popularity will continue to fall as the war continues, but this will not stop his terrible course, and the Russian leader will continue his fight, “whatever the cost.”

“The more losses and the more violence Russian citizens see, the less people want to participate in this,” he explained.

“It will be difficult for him to recruit people, but this is still Russia. He will find a way to coerce, to lure. In the end, he will create an army, but the war will become less and less popular.”

Devine warns that the end of the conflict “only begins when the war has reached a stalemate and both sides are tired.” He notes that Putin could not be kicked out of Ukraine, but “stagnation is not victory.”

“The Ukrainians are not going to give them territory. Putin is not going to retreat. But you can lower the temperature. They should fold when everyone understands that Putin has no hope of winning,” says the former head of the CIA.

At the same time, he warns that Putin is unlikely to be pushed back into Russia.

“I think we’ll see almost permanent gridlock next year,” Devine says.

Putin and the war in Ukraine

In November, Russian President Vladimir Putin spoke about peace negotiations with Ukraine. As The New York Times writes, it is beneficial for Putin to temporarily obtain a “frozen front” in Ukraine and retain almost 20% of Ukrainian territories for the Russian Federation, some analysts believe.

As NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg noted, Russia can no longer achieve its military goals in Ukraine, despite significant military efforts. At the same time, he cautioned against hoping for a quick end to the war given developments, and against believing Putin will change course after his expected re-election on March 17.