Russia's defeat to Ukraine would be a tipping point, former intelligence officers told Insider.
During his two decades in power, the Russian president has surrounded himself with an inner circle of hardline loyalists known as "the Siloviki."
But in the chaotic fallout of Russia's invasion of Ukraine, Putin's grasp on power appears much less secure, former intelligence officers told Insider.
The faltering invasion has prompted criticism of the Russian president that would have previously been unthinkable.
Ingram cautioned that Russian defeat could provoke even broader global instability.
Persons:
Russia's Vladimir Putin, —, Vladimir Putin's, he's, George Beebe, Putin, Yevgeny Prigozhin, Prigozhin, Abbas Gallyamov, Dmitry Medvedev, Nikolai Patrushev, Vyacheslav Volodin, Vladimir Putin, Russia's, Mikhail Svetlov, Philip Ingram, Beebe, RIA Novosti Ingram, Ingram, Putin's, Ramzan Kadyrov, Kadyrov, Ben Noble
Organizations:
Service, CIA, Wagner Group, Kremlin, CNN, Russian Security Council's, Security, RIA, NATO, University College London
Locations:
Ukraine, Russia, Russian, Moscow, Kremlin, Crimea, Soledar