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Every dictator dreams of living to a ripe old age and dying in power, leaving behind a worshipful cult to ensure their immortality. Putin’s disastrous war in Ukraine, which was supposed to take Kyiv in three days, may bring his end sooner than he thinks. There was already one violent coup attempt against him last spring, and there are signs of failing health and increasing delusion. As his war drags on, with more Russians forced into the meat grinder, or coming home wounded, armed, and angry, Russia is a powder keg.

Is the West ready for the collapse of Russia? Will the country return to the chaos and car bombs of the 1990s? Will the statues of Stalin come down or be joined by ones to Putin? If the Kremlin is ripped apart by a succession battle, what will happen to the nukes? Olga Lautman, the Russian mafia expert and co-host of the Kremlin Files podcast, joins Gaslit Nation to forecast the collapse of Russia and why the West must get ready, especially for the sake of ensuring Ukraine prevails–for all of us.

This week’s bonus show, exclusive to our supporters at the Truth-teller level and higher, answers questions from our listeners at the Democracy Defender level and higher. To our Patreon community, we look forward to seeing you at our Gaslit Nation Social Media workshop on January 18th at 8 pm EST, made especially for those who hate social media. Rachel Brody, a tenacious organizer who helps various campaigns with their social media strategy, will help lead the discussion and answer your questions.

To get access to our January 18th social media workshop, subscribe at the Truth-teller level or higher on Patreon.com/Gaslit 

Thank you to everyone who supports the show – we could not make Gaslit Nation without you!

SHOW NOTES:


This content originally appeared on Gaslit Nation and was authored by Andrea Chalupa.

Citations

[1]https://www.instagram.com/p/C12YBemup2G/[2]https://www.nytimes.com/2024/01/07/us/congress-spending-deal-shutdown.html?campaign_id=60&emc=edit_na_20240107&instance_id=0&nl=breaking-news&ref=cta®i_id=48614702&segment_id=154521&user_id=097a378032011d6e8be1570cdce0a176[3] x.com ➤ https://twitter.com/CrisLeeMaza/status/1743296552561480140[4]https://www.nytimes.com/2023/12/23/world/europe/putin-russia-ukraine-war-cease-fire.html[5]https://www.theguardian.com/business/2024/jan/08/russia-ukraine-seize-assets-us-eu[6]https://www.politico.com/news/2024/01/06/pentagon-took-3-days-to-inform-white-houses-nsc-of-austins-hospitalization-00134176[7]https://www.pravda.com.ua/eng/news/2024/01/8/7436292/[8] Bloomberg - Are you a robot? ➤ https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2024-01-06/us-intelligence-shows-flawed-china-missiles-led-xi-jinping-to-purge-military?utm_source=website&utm_medium=share&utm_campaign=twitter[9] Subscribe to read ➤ https://www.ft.com/content/a477d3f1-8c7e-4520-83b0-572ad674c28e[10] Subscribe to read ➤ https://www.ft.com/content/9edcf793-aaf7-42e2-97d0-dd58e9fab8ea