Kathrine Frich
Private attitudes inside Russia’s ruling circles are shifting in ways rarely seen in public.
According to a Russian economist, conversations among elites now reveal growing distance, disappointment and quiet ridicule aimed at the man who once commanded unquestioned authority.
Changing tone
Until early 2022, Vladimir Putin was widely viewed by Russia’s elite as a rational decision-maker and was commonly referred to as “the boss”.
That assessment changed sharply after the launch of the full-scale invasion of Ukraine, according to Russian economist Alexandra Prokopenko.
Speaking to the German newspaper Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung, Prokopenko said dissatisfaction with Putin has been steadily growing at the highest levels of power.
Before the war
Prokopenko said that before February 2022, Putin’s increasing fixation on history and his retreat from economic detail were largely tolerated.
Those traits were seen as harmless quirks of an aging autocrat, not a danger to the state.
Despite internal concerns, elites still believed Putin would act pragmatically and avoid decisions that carried extreme risks.
Point of rupture
That confidence collapsed when Putin ordered the invasion of Ukraine.
According to Prokopenko, many within the elite did not believe he would launch a full-scale war, assuming he would weigh the political and economic consequences.
When that assumption proved wrong, respect quickly gave way to disappointment and, in private, mockery.
A sharp nickname
In conversations behind closed doors, Prokopenko said Putin is now often referred to as “Ged”, meaning “grandfather”.
One of her sources described him bluntly: “Ged just likes toy soldiers.”
Prokopenko said the phrase reflects how parts of the elite now see Putin as fascinated by war while detached from its real-world impact.
Living in a bubble
The nickname, she explained, is not only about age but about isolation from reality.
Putin is increasingly viewed as living in his own world, where war becomes an abstract exercise rather than a human and economic catastrophe.
According to Prokopenko, information reaching the president is often filtered and embellished.
She said the system now favours those who deliver good news rather than those who provide honest assessments.
As a result, distorted economic and military reports reinforce Putin’s isolation, deepening the gap between decision-making and reality.
Sources: Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung, La.lv.
