Vladimir Putin is losing his grip on Russia

Imagine that, all of a sudden, everyone working in positions of power in Russia has changed a small detail in the way they speak: when referring to the government’s decisions and actions, they stop saying “we” and start saying “he.” It's not a revolution; it's not a street protest, but rather a silent shift that is sweeping through government buildings, offices, and work dinners. Here's the argument: The real sign that Putin is losing control is not the protests or public speeches, but the fact that the war and the Kremlin's decisions are no longer perceived as a collective endeavor. Russia no longer says, “This is our war,” but rather, “This is his war.” And when those in charge lose the “we,” the system enters a profound crisis, because without a sense of belonging, fear begins to outweigh loyalty. Among the key figures in this metamorphosis are high-ranking officials, governors of vast regions, and businesspeople who, until recently, felt part of a team. A phrase recently heard in a Moscow ministry captures the sentiment: “I don’t know why we have to continue down this path, but now it’s Putin’s path, not ours.” Some people report that at dinners, no one uses the “we’ll make it” tone anymore, and others, like a former adviser now in exile, admit that they sense an “end-of-the-road” atmosphere everywhere. To understand the depth of this disconnect, one need only look at the data: never, in the last twenty years, have domestic polls shown such a stark divide between the leadership and the rest of the country. A personal anecdote: a former manager of a large energy company, who had attended meetings with Putin for years, says that today no one wants to be seen in the corridors of power anymore; everyone is trying to minimize their exposure, as if being too close to the center means risking being swept away by the collapse. There is another crucial factor: paradoxically, every move Putin makes to consolidate his power accelerates his loss of support. The more he tries to consolidate power, the more people feel that he is protecting only himself. And this is not just a matter of image: in authoritarian systems, when the leader no longer represents the “we,” the machine grinds to a halt, and the silent exodus of allies begins. Now, the perspective that few consider is this: the real risk for the Kremlin is not so much a wave of popular protest as a gradual internal fragmentation, where everyone thinks about saving themselves without any longer worrying about the common destiny. It is not the tumult in the streets that makes power tremble, but the void that is created when everyone stops believing in it together. The bottom line is this: when “we” disappears from the vocabulary of power, that's when a regime's true crisis begins. If this perspective has made you see the situation in Russia in a different light, you can mark the moment on Lara Notes with I'm In — it's your declaration that this perspective is now part of your way of thinking. And if, in a few days' time, you find yourself telling someone that in Russia, the crisis is measured by a simple change of pronoun, on Lara Notes, you can tag the person who was with you using Shared Offline, to capture that conversation in your memory. This insight comes from The Economist and has just saved you several minutes of reading.