Russian officials are increasingly worried about the future of Vladimir Putin’s political system amid declining public support and the stalled war in Ukraine. Mid-level Kremlin officials reportedly described growing pessimism inside the Russian state apparatus, with some privately admitting they see “no future” for the current system.

May 22, 2026

Russian officials are privately acknowledging a growing crisis inside Vladimir Putin’s political system amid the prolonged war against Ukraine, independent Russian outlet Verstka reported on Friday, May 22.

According to the report, anxiety is spreading among mid-level Kremlin officials and bureaucrats as Russia faces declining public approval ratings and mounting war-related pressures.

“The fact that the system has no future is obvious to everyone, and everyone discusses it among themselves,” a mid-level employee of Russia’s presidential administration told Verstka.

“But nobody goes beyond stating the fact,” the source added.

At the same time, officials closest to Putin reportedly continue to feel relatively secure, while lower-ranking functionaries increasingly fear what could happen if the current government structure weakens or collapses.

“If Putin’s power collapses, there is no future for us,” one Russian official told the outlet.

“Everyone understands this, although nobody says it openly.”

Officials say ‘most nervous groups’ tied to war

According to Verstka, some Russian officials are trying to focus on “small personal matters” or distractions as uncertainty inside the system grows.

“The situation is perfectly clear – tomorrow will either be worse or the same. And you cannot influence it,” one Kremlin-linked source said.

“That’s why people become gloomy, together with everyone else.”

Another source working with the Kremlin’s media agenda said the “most nervous groups” inside the Russian system are officials responsible for domestic political control and those profiting from the war.

One official even admitted to Verstka that he would prefer to send his child abroad to study.

“And we’ll continue fighting a little longer ourselves,” the source added “uncertainly,” according to the outlet.

Earlier a State Duma deputy Renat Suleimanov, who represents the Communist Party, said Russia’s economy will not withstand a prolonged war in Ukraine and argued that the Kremlin’s so-called “special military operation” should end as soon as possible.

“It is absolutely obvious that the economy will not withstand a prolonged continuation of the special military operation,” Suleimanov said, using the Kremlin’s term for the war against Ukraine.

According to data from the state-owned Russian Public Opinion Research Center (VtsIOM), Putin’s approval rating among Russians has fallen to its lowest level since before the 2022 invasion of Ukraine, amid an economic slowdown and an unpopular crackdown on internet access. The Russian president’s rating dropped to a low of 65.6% last week, a decline of 4.5 points since the end of March.

Ahead of the invasion in late February 2022, Putin’s approval figure stood at 64.3%. It quickly increased after the attack, as is often the case in periods of war.

This year’s favorability decline coincides with the Kremlin’s crackdown on Russian cyberspace and the authorities’ bid to create a so-called “sovereign internet.”

In March, the Kremlin blocked the popular messaging app Telegram, along with several other platforms and services such as YouTube and Facebook, in an effort to encourage users to switch to its state-approved “super-app” Max, which critics fear could be used for surveillance. Russia’s internet clampdown is widely seen as way of tightening control over the information space to curb potential internal dissent.

https://www.kyivpost.com/post/76674