Description
Ponomarev, an exiled Russian opposition politician, told Newsweek: "Putin's power lies in his alpha male status, which is unstoppable. 2022 was the year that status began to wane." Opposition politician Ilya Ponomarev claimed that Vladimir Putin "will not live to see his next birthday", adding that the Russian president will be "assassinated" by members of the Kremlin. Putin will turn 71 on October 7.
"My prognosis remains that he won't live to see his next birthday," he said.
Ponomarev further said that his "personal dream" is to see Putin in The Hague, but he does not believe the Russian president will fulfill it. "The people around him would not allow him to go to The Hague, because his testimony could actually be very harmful to them...[then] they would kill him," he said. According to Ponomarev, Putin's announcement that he had annexed Ukrainian territories that Russia could not fully control, as well as setbacks, including the failed move in Kyiv and the withdrawals from Kherson and Kharkiv, sparked his inner circle.
