Kremlin dictator Vladimir Putin approached the 23rd anniversary of his rule in maximum external and internal isolation for all these years amid the failures in Ukraine, according to The Washington Post.
In its article, the newspaper writes that more than 300 days of brutal war against Ukraine destroyed decades of carefully cultivated economic relations between Russia and the West, turned the Russian Federation into a rogue country, while the Kremlin's attempts to replace these ties with closer cooperation with India and China seems to be failing.
Putin has always relied on a tight inner circle of old friends and confidants and never seemed to trust anyone completely. But now a new chasm is emerging between Putin and most of the country's elite.
According to one of the officials, Putin "feels the loss of his friends."
Questions are growing among Russia's elite about Putin's tactics in 2023 after a series of humiliating military retreats this fall.
Tatyana Stanova, a research fellow at the Carnegie Endowment for the International World, said that there is a split in Russian elites between those who want Putin to stop the military offensive and those who believe he should continue escalating.
Russian elites interviewed by The Washington Post said they could not predict what might happen next year and said they doubted Putin knew how he might act.
"Among his entourage, there is a huge disappointment. He clearly does not know what to do," said one Russian billionaire who maintains contacts with high-ranking officials.
A Russian official said Putin's only plan appears to be "constantly trying to force the West and Ukraine to open [peace] talks" through airstrikes against Ukraine's critical infrastructure and other threats. But, according to him, Putin is ready to speak "only on his own terms."
Interlocutors of the publication indicated the postponement of Putin's annual address to the nation and the cancellation of his annual press conference.
"There must be a plan in the appeal. But there is no plan. I think they just don't know what to say. Of course, he is in isolation. He still does not like to communicate with people. He has a very narrow circle, and now it has become even narrower," the source said.
As the publication notes, Putin again tried to blame the US and NATO for prolonging the war, which seemed almost a tacit admission that he had lost control of the process.
"How can he tell us that everything is going according to plan when the war is already in its 10th month, and we were told that it will only take a few days?" the official asks.
Tatyana Stanova noted that in his recent speeches, Putin looked tired. And even if he has a secret plan of action, most of the Russian elite lose faith in him.
"This is a figure who, in the eyes of the elite, seems incapable of answering questions. The elite does not know what to believe and is afraid to think about tomorrow," she emphasized.