What many experts feared is coming into reality day by day. Many political pundits have argued that Vladimir Putin’s days at the Kremlin as boss may be coming to an end.

With Russia isolated from Europe and most of the world, prices surging and curbs slapped on the movement of Russians in the European Union, the Russian army’s abrupt retreat from Ukraine with the intensified Ukrainian counter offensive, the calls for Putin’s resignation gets shriller with every passing hour.

Local politicians call for Putin’s resignation

At least 18 officials from 18 districts in Moscow, St. Petersburg, Kolpino made a statement posted on Twitter that the Russian President should step down because his invasion of Ukraine has endangered the future of the Russian people.

“We believe that the actions of President Vladimir Putin inflict harm on the future of Russia and its citizens. We demand the resignation of Vladimir Putin from the office of President of the Russian Federation.”, the statement read on the Twitter account of Xenia Tostrem – a municipal deputy of St. Petersburg.

Calls intensified due to the inglorious retreat of Russian troops in Ukraine

The calls for Putin to resign took momentum after Russia’s rapid gains in the early months of the war was crushed in an unprecedented counteroffensive in the East and South fronts.

Ukrainian soldiers shared videos and images purportedly showing Russian soldiers on the run leaving their ammunition’s and sounded comrades on the battle field in Kharkiv and other regions occupied by the Russians. 

The telltales of Russian soldiers bolting away without putting up even a fight has hurt the reputation of the pre-Ukraine-war invincibility of the Russian military.

Putin should be impeached on grounds of treason

In another unfortunate scenario for the Russian strong man, Kunin Vasily Evgenievich – another St. Petersburg councilor blamed Putin for treason and calls for his impeachment on Sunday.

According to the St. Petersburg’s councilor, Vladimir Putin has driven Russian into the recess of international isolation and has catapulted Russia’s economy into a spot of failure. To him, the economy is ‘faking at an unprecedented rate’ and that has precipitated mass Exodus of young Russian professionals from the fatherland.

Totalitarian state

Another reason for Kunin’s fallout with the Russian President was his criticism that Putin has planted an unwavering totalitarian state at the heart of modern Russia.

He recounted the imprisonment of peaceful Protestants, ban of alternative views and media and institution of culture of fear and silence.

‘All of the above violates the rights of citizens of the Russian Federation to security, to economic development, well-being, freedom of expression. Putin’s course has thrown our country back decades.’

Loss of lives of Russian soldiers

Another point emphasized by Kunin was the fact that many Russian soldiers have been sent into their death by Putin’s so-called Special Operation in Ukraine. 

He alleged that the Russian Military does not give the actual number of deceased soldiers in the Ukraine war.

Politicians who called for Putin’s resignation were summoned by the police for interrogation

The Russian councilors who led the campaign to charge Putin with treason have been booted out of office last week and summoned by the police for interrogations.  

These politicians echoed a similar tone about the repercussions of the Ukraine war which has struck Russia with an obliterating political and economic blow and young Russian soldiers are sent into their death every day.

Putin’s war in Ukraine harms Russian citizens and the nation at large

Dmitry Palyuga, a 35 year old Russian councilor said that the Russian President’s war in Ukraine ‘harms the security of Russia and its citizens’.

The councilors claimed not everyone in Russia agrees to Putin’s invasion of their former Soviet neighbor. And contrary to popular opinion, they were not afraid to call Putin to order.

‘We want to show people that there are [democratic representatives] who don’t agree with the current course and think Putin is harming Russia. We want to show people that we are not afraid to talk about it,’ said Dmitry

However, there are some pro-Putin elements like Grigory Eankov who believe the councilors action was a ‘provocation’ and they (the councilors) wanted to ‘discredit’ the council. 

Grigory Eankov, head of Smolninskoye administration, added that the councilors were wrong to have petitioned the state Duma – the lower house of the Russian parliament.

Russian army failure could cost Putin his leadership

Up until the Russian catastrophic pullback in Kharkiv and other area in Russia, the world’s view of the might of the Putin’s army was that of a world class military thanks to the narrative by Kremlin propagandists. 

But such a hard-earned reputation is fast crumbling down in free fall in the face of a poorly resourced but defiant Ukraine army.

Putin who cultivated much of his resplendent aura around the pre-eminence of the Russian army is fast losing face amidst the ever increasing Ukrainian onslaught. 

Many believe that contrary to Kremlin’s propaganda, the Russian army is poorly trained, awfully fed, have inadequate equipment and suffers a tattered morale.

It is dangerous to criticize Putin or his war in Ukraine

Russian politicians and Russians who have dared to criticize Putin do so at their own risk. About 9 Russian oligarchs have died or disappeared after censuring the Russian leader or his war in Ukraine.

Some have died in very suspicious circumstances including a fall from the window of a hospital.

It is therefore clear that those who dare come to the doorstep of Vladimir Putin with a sharpened mouth ready themselves to bow out of the world of the living. 

Putin is well-known for not tolerating biting remarks especially if that may cost his grip on power. He has reportedly poisoned or imprisoned his feared political rivals in his quest to stifle any degree of dissent.