‘I know how its all going to end': Ex-CIA chief warns of Vladimir Putin's demise
Vladimir Putin is terrified, sickly and facing a fate just like his toppled dictator pal Bashar al-Assad, a former CIA chief has warned.
Ralph Goff, ex-CIA chief of operations for Europe and Eurasia, said the ageing Russian tyrant is preoccupied with his health.
And while he fumbles with trying to keep well, there is likely to be fomenting dissent in his elites, The Sun reports.
He said Putin, 72, could fall very quickly if his oligarch pals turn on him – potentially losing power in a sudden uprising like Assad.
Get all the latest news happening around the world as it happens — download the news.com.au app direct to your phone.
Vladimir Putin is facing a fate just like his toppled dictator pal Bashar al-Assad, a former CIA chief has warned. Photo: AFP
Goff said the Russian president's health and wellbeing is his 'top concern'.
'Putin is a guy who's afraid of Covid, afraid of being sick,' the ex-spook – a 35-year CIA veteran said.
'His personal health and wellbeing are his top concern.
'Putin may have the same fate as Bashar al-Assad who fell suddenly without warning.
'I think this is one of the more likely outcomes for Putin – a threat that he doesn't even see coming, comes out of nowhere, and he's gone.'
Like other intelligence chiefs, Goff – who served in Europe, the Middle East, and Central and South Asia – believes Putin 'sees a threat in the elite'.
Goff said the Russian president's health and wellbeing is his 'top concern'. Photo: AFP
'Putin is a guy who's afraid of Covid, afraid of being sick.' Photo: AFP
'It's similar to the Italian mafia organised crime in the United States – where if the head was judged bad for business, then the they would get together and take him out.
'So Putin's got to watch out. He's got to watch the economy.
'He's got to watch the loyalty of the oligarchs.'
Despite leading a war effort that has been devastating to Russia, Vlad is 'still popular', Goff said.
However, 'It's a huge scale of devastation and loss. And that can undermine just about anybody,' he added.
Ralph Goff served in the CIA for 35 years. Photo: Supplied
Despite leading a war effort that has been devastating to Russia, Vlad is 'still popular'. Photo: AFP
As the war rumbles on, Goff revealed the recipe for Ukraine success – more weapons from Europe and targeting Russian assets.
'When the Ukrainians are successfully armed and prepared, they can hold out – and there's an increased chance of forcing some sort of settlement.
'If not, Putin can continue this war for as long as he likes – to the point where the Ukrainians are forced to kind of seek a very disadvantageous peace, or ceasefire.'
Goff warns it would be 'very unstable' with 'no guarantee that some sort of war won't break out in the future'.
And outside Russia, Goff believes a regime change in Iran would have a direct impact on Putin's war.
'A change in regime would undermine that support and help isolate Russia just a little bit more,' he said.
This article originally appeared on The Sun and has been republished with permission
Originally published as 'I know how its all going to end': Ex-CIA chief warns of Vladimir Putin's demise
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Sydney Morning Herald
2 hours ago
- Sydney Morning Herald
Trump doubles India tariff as punishment for buying Russian oil
Witkoff's long-awaited meeting with Putin lasted for about three hours, with Trump suggesting on social media there was a good outcome. Loading 'Great progress was made!' the president said of the talks in Moscow. 'Afterwards, I updated some of our European Allies. Everyone agrees this War must come to a close, and we will work towards that in the days and weeks to come. Thank you for your attention to this matter!' White House official Pete Navarro, a top adviser to Trump on trade, was scathing of India in remarks after the tariff decision. 'American dollars buy Indian products, and that sets in motion a situation where those dollars finance a war which then requires American taxpayers to pay for defending against the Russian armaments,' he said. 'That kind of trade just doesn't work.' Trump warned last week that Putin had 10 days to act on peace with Ukraine or face mammoth secondary tariffs, scaling up the economic threat to Russia after more than three years of war. The US president has been increasingly frustrated with Putin over the lack of progress towards peace, airing his concerns at a press conference with British Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer in Scotland on July 29. He set a 50-day deadline for Putin in early July, giving the Russian leader until September 2 to stop firing missiles and drones at Ukrainian civilians and agree to a peace deal, before adjusting the timeline to August 8. 'There's no reason in waiting,' he said in Scotland. The president has repeatedly expressed frustration that the Russian leader would make claims about peace in their private conversations, but continue bombing Ukraine at night. 'Russia could be so rich, instead they spend all their money on war,' Trump said at the appearance with Starmer. 'I thought he'd want to end this thing quickly, but every time I think it's going to end, he kills people.' Bloomberg and independent Russian news outlet The Bell reported that the Kremlin might propose a moratorium on airstrikes by Russia and Ukraine – an idea that was mentioned last week by Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko during a meeting with Putin. Zelensky said Russian missiles and drones continued to attack targets overnight, including a recreational facility in Zaporizhzhia. 'Twelve people have been injured. As of now, sadly, two people are confirmed dead,' he said on X. 'Also at night, there were vicious attacks on power grids in the Dnipro region, a drone-dropped munition targeting civilians in Kherson, and a strike on a gas facility in Novosilske, Odesa region. Hundreds of families were left without gas. In the Kharkiv and Donetsk regions, the Russians targeted people's private homes. 'No matter what the Kremlin says, they will only genuinely seek to end the war once they feel adequate pressure.'
News.com.au
4 hours ago
- News.com.au
France strips residency from 47-year-old Moroccan who lit cigarette at Arc de Triomphe war memorial
France has reportedly stripped the residency permit of a man who lit a cigarette at a war memorial in Paris after he was caught on camera. Interior Minister Bruno Retailleau on Tuesday called the actions of a 47-year-old Moroccan man 'indecent and pathetic' following his arrest. Video footage of him lighting a cigarette beneath the much-visited Arc de Triomphe sparked outrage after it was circulated. 'The man who desecrated the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier by lighting a cigarette with the memorial flame was arrested in Paris for violating a burial site, tomb, urn, or monument erected in memory of the dead. He was taken into custody and admitted the facts,' Mr Retailleau wrote on X. On Wednesday, France's Interior Ministry announced that the unidentified man had been stripped of his residency permit, Politico reported. The Unknown Soldier War Memorial contains a flame and the tomb of a soldier killed in World War I under an arch of the Arc de Triomphe. Footage of the incident shows a man kneeling beside the memorial, which appears to be off limits to visitors. He is seen leaning over the flame emitting from the memorial to light his cigarette before immediately leaving, as the stunned tourists watch. The man reportedly has legal status in France and was known to police, according to local reports. Patricia Miralles, the deputy minister for Memory and Veterans' Affairs, said she was 'outraged' by what happened. 'Walking on the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier. Lighting his cigarette with the eternal flame. This is not a mere misstep: it is a desecration,' she wrote on X. 'France will never tolerate the tarnishing of the memory of those who died for her. Never.'
ABC News
6 hours ago
- ABC News
Russia "more inclined" to reach ceasefire, Ukraine says
The Ukrainian president says Russia seems "more inclined" to doing a deal, as a deadline for Moscow to agree to a ceasefire looms. It comes as US envoy Steve Witkoff meets with Russian President Vladimir Putin.
