28 July 2026

For 26 years, Vladimir Putin’s absolute control relied on three unwritten rules. Today, those rules are quietly being broken—not by the West or the opposition, but by the very system he created.

While the world waits for a sudden, cinematic collapse of the regime, the Russian state is actually experiencing something much more dangerous: the “termite effect.” From Putin’s personal elite guards (Rosgvardia) openly pivoting to commercial profit, to Siberians publicly questioning their loyalty to Moscow, to ordinary citizens in Dagestan organizing to survive without the state.

The vertical of power is hollowing out from below. This is not a sensationalist prediction of an immediate revolution tomorrow. This is the structural, undeniable decay of a system that is beginning to produce the exact behavior it was designed to prevent. Let’s look at the evidence.

I’m Konstantin Samoilov, a Russian in exile and creator of Inside Russia community. I talk to people inside the country every day, follow the numbers and the mood, study Russia under microscope and share my findings with the world. No hype — just facts. Sources: open public data and reporting (Russia Today, MinFin, CBR, Rosstat, business press). This video is commentary and analysis for information/education only and follows YouTube community guidelines.