"At the beginning, he did have a government. Sir Andrew believes Mr Putin's close circle is now focused only on the war, with most of the institutions that normally make up a government now abolished. Professor David Lewis, an expert in global politics at the University of Exeter, agrees Mr Putin's close circle has an "enormous amount to lose" if he is ousted from power.īut he also thinks many of those around the president share his worldview - with some taking an even more extreme position - believing the West is a "hostile force" that is "using Ukraine as a proxy to attack Russia". They are not "stupid people" and they are aware of what is happening with the war, he says, but "at this stage they have calculated that it's better to stick with who you know than risk a change of leadership" - and face losing their positions, and possibly their lives. So when they have private thoughts about Putin, they would never express those in public when they know the consequences of moving against each other and being seen to be disloyal." Mr Foreman continues: "They all know that they rely on Putin for power and wealth. "These decisions are taken by blokes who used to go to school together, to chat with each other, or play judo and so on." Russia has a "very different nature of power" based on "personality, friendships and old links", he says. John Foreman, who was recently Britain's defence attaché in Moscow, says the close circle would have been together for 25 to 30 years. Sir Andrew Wood, former British ambassador to Russia, says one of Vladimir Putin's main characteristics is to "speak to as few people as he can" - meaning there are few people in the Kremlin, and even fewer in the close circle around him. This can be a difficult question to answer, even for those who have studied Russia for many years. Part Five: What does Putin's close circle in the Kremlin think of him? In this eight-part series, we'll be posing questions to experts about what Mr Putin's motivations are, and what we know about the Russian president. Little is known about the murky workings of the Kremlin and of Mr Putin's state of mind - but what we do know can help shine a light on why the war came about and where it might be headed. Vladimir Putin is the man who brought war back to Europe, sending his tanks into Ukraine on 24 February last year.
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