UPDATE: Putin is back in the public eye but his hold on power is waning

UPDATE: This morning, March 16, Vladimir Putin, after disappearing from the public eye 10 days ago on March 5, is back.

My $0.02: Putin’s hardline stances, even if prodded recklessly by a Western alliance - NATO - that thought it prudent to have its borders abut Russia, have been poorly received. By way of the sanctions imposed after the Ukraine/Crimea slow-burn war, Putin has cost Russian billionaires credibility and much more crucially to them, billions of dollars.

A former Israeli ambassador to Russia, Zvi Magen, saw signs of a coup: “Magen believes those responsible for the potential coup are “branches or factions in the army who are working together or against one another, or wealthy businessmen, many of whom worked in these organizations. They could only be people who are free to walk around the corridors of the Kremlin.” He says possible reasons include the ongoing sanctions imposed by the West on those close to the Kremlin, sanctions “that harm them personally. I don’t believe there’s a controversy there surrounding policy. They’re protecting their own interests.”

UPDATE: Putin showed his face, I do maintain his value to the army and the oligarchs has greatly diminished, enough to spark the rumors of his demise. Putin, seemingly out of nowhere, has called for a huge Arctic forces readiness exercise: “Russian president Vladimir Putin has launched massive military manoeuvres involving 40,000 servicemen in the Arctic, in an effort to expand its presence in the polar region.Defence Minister Sergei Shoigu, who is overseeing an expensive modernisation of the armed forces, said Russia faced new threats to its security which obliged it to boost its military strength and capabilities.In a statement carried by Russian news agencies, he said that more than 50 surface ships and submarines and 110 aircraft will be used in the snap exercises.”