A Russian opposition politician and prominent critic of Russian President Vladimir Putin says the war in Ukraine is “backfiring” on the regime at home, with signs of waning domestic support as the Kremlin’s army falters on the battlefield.
In an interview with Global News on Friday, Vladimir Kara-Murza — who survived several alleged poisoning attempts and was released from a 25-year prison sentence in Russia for protesting the war in a 2024 prisoner exchange — said mounting military and economic failures have stripped away Putin’s image as a strongman and exposed him as “increasingly weak.”
“I think it’s becoming increasingly clear to everyone that this war has backfired on the Putin regime,” he said in Ottawa, a day after testifying in Parliament in favor of legislation that would tighten Canada’s foreign sanctions regime.
“We know from our history in Russia that these failed wars of aggression always end up backfiring against the regimes that started these wars, and ultimately lead to very dangerous political changes within the country. And I think it has become increasingly clear in the last few weeks that this is exactly what is happening in Russia.”
In an opinion piece published by the Washington Post this week“, cited Kara-Murza A recent poll conducted by the independent Levada Center It was found that 62% of Russians support peace talks with Ukraine, while only 27% support the continuation of the war, which has now entered its fifth year.
While Kara-Murza noted that accurate polling in Russia is difficult to obtain due to the “fear factor” perpetuated by the Kremlin, he noted that the actual number of those who support peace talks is likely much higher.
There have been increasing reports of economic difficulties in Russia With its wartime economy stagnating, despite increased oil revenues amid the war in the Middle East. Inflation is high, and the Kremlin has raised taxes to keep its budget deficit under control.
Internet shutdowns in Moscow and other cities have increased discontent after some social media influencers were previously loyal to the Kremlin. He began to criticize government policies openly.
Meanwhile, increasing Ukrainian drone attacks have put Russian forces on the defensive as they strike deeper into the country, targeting energy facilities and military sites.
Fear of a Ukrainian attack in Moscow itself forced Putin to scale back the annual Victory Day parade on May 9, which is usually a massive show of military strength and support for the regime.
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Putin has sought to turn the tide by sharply increasing attacks on Ukraine, including a massive bombing on Friday night, which saw a Russian drone veer off course and bomb an apartment building in Romania. NATO ally — near the Ukrainian border, Two people were injured.
Ukraine said it was preparing for more attacks, including on Kyiv The Kremlin warned foreign diplomats to evacuate this week.
“I think (the warning) will be very important evidence, frankly, for a future court where Putin and his followers will one day find themselves sitting in the stocks and being held accountable for all the horrific crimes they have committed, including during this war,” Kara-Murza said.
The Levada poll was published ahead of parliamentary elections in September, as the Kremlin moves again to keep anti-war votes off the ballot by targeting prominent members of Russia’s only remaining opposition party, Yabloko, on administrative and criminal charges – including personal friends of Kara-Murza.
“The best way to assess the situation (in Russia) is actually to look at the behavior of the regime,” he said. “And we see that the Kremlin is too afraid to allow even the most cautious and moderate anti-war voices to participate in the ballot in Russia at any level.”
He added that while these efforts may be successful, “what has become increasingly difficult for the Kremlin is to maintain this pretense, both to domestic and international audiences, that Putin’s war in Ukraine has the support of an overwhelming majority of the Russian people. It is increasingly clear to everyone that this claim is simply false.”
Kara-Murza said that he not only hopes, but is confident that he will soon be able to return from exile to his homeland and witness the fall of Putin’s regime and the return of democracy to Russia.
He said that the democratic opposition must now begin to prepare for this transformation.
He said: “We know from Russian history that major political changes in our country usually happen… quickly, suddenly, and completely unexpectedly.”
“We have no right to squander the next opportunity for democratization in Russia, the way they squandered that opportunity in the 1990s. This model of change may come in three years, it may come in two weeks, but what we know is that when this window of change opens, it will be very short.”
Bill Browder, the financier and campaigner for tougher sanctions regimes, who testified alongside Kara Murza at the House of Commons Foreign Affairs Committee on Thursday, told Global News in an interview on Thursday that the Russian people would look for new leaders if Putin’s regime falls.
Opposition figures like Kara Murza “are the people who might intervene,” he said.
“What I learned about Vladimir and other members of the Russian opposition is that the amount of sacrifices they are willing to make to try to bring normalcy back to their country is beyond human capacity,” Browder said.
“It’s a very dangerous place to be against Vladimir Putin. But actually, the more he reacts to it, the more you know what’s at stake.”
Kara-Murza and Browder are calling on Parliament to pass legislation that would, among other measures, add transnational repression as a punishable offense under Canadian law and require annual government reports listing “prisoners of conscience” held by foreign countries.
Kara-Murza told Global News that the law would send a strong message to regimes like Putin’s and should be part of a renewed international campaign to pressure the Kremlin for negotiations to end Ukraine’s war.
He said: “Aggressors do not stop unless they are stopped, and it is time for the free world to stop Vladimir Putin.”
“As long as Russia remains a dictatorial state, it will always pose a threat not only to our people, but also to everyone abroad…. The only real way to ensure long-term peace, stability and security in Europe and in the world as a whole is for Russia to become a normal, civilized and democratic state.”
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