The Tumultuous Reality of Putin’s Performance

Putin’s subsequent addresses since the failed coup are far from impressive, and alarmingly so. His public performances, in light of the failed operation, lack coherence, vigor, and, most importantly, credibility. He is endeavoring to rewrite the narrative, discrediting the precaution and claiming victory. Yet, the fact remains that there was no tangible punishment or repercussions after the Kremlin-precaution agreement. Such inconsistencies are not lost on both the Russian elites and the general public, raising questions and doubts about Putin’s credibility and leadership.

Most could decipher that the failed coup was indicative of a political crisis, yet the underlying issues remain clouded, further undermining Putin’s leadership. He appeared pale, unimpressive, and seemed to be merely reacting to events rather than leading them. His narrative was no longer persuasive, and his attempts at damage control have been less than successful.

Putin’s attempts to assuage the public’s doubts about his leadership have been marred by desperation and near-hysteria. He continuously revisits the failed coup, attempting to rewrite the narrative time and again, instead of moving forward and tackling the issues that lie ahead. His insistence on revisiting the debacle demonstrates a failure to turn the page and lead the nation past the crisis.

In his speeches, Putin glorifies his ‘brave warriors’, even when the reality is starkly different. The Russian military faced embarrassment, being overpowered and taken into custody, their equipment, including high-tech military helicopters, shot down. Yet, Putin’s narrative is consistently in contrast to the reality. He genuinely seems to believe that he can alter the perception of reality through constant repetition of his narrative, focused on stability, bravery, courage, and national solidarity.

However, Putin’s incessant rhetoric is not resonating. His inability to change the narrative and his constant retreat to the same subject reveal his emotional state more than any strategic or political thought. It suggests that he is personally wounded and feels threatened and humiliated, thus his inability to let go of the failed coup.

This obsession goes beyond political necessity. It seems more like an attempt to cope with a deep-seated psychological trauma, a desperate effort to suppress his feelings of guilt and shame by obsessively revisiting and rewriting the events of the failed coup.

The failed coup and Putin’s subsequent reactions have undoubtedly weakened his position. However, his decline has been gradual, evident since 2018 when his ratings started to drop and public unrest began to rise. The unsuccessful coup was the culmination of these underlying tensions.

Moreover, his ill-planned blitzkrieg-like approach to the coup, reminiscent of the Crimea takeover in 2014, backfired tremendously. This failure has only served to intensify the elites and public’s existing discontent with Putin. Over the course of the past year, as the war drags on, Putin’s strength and legitimacy continue to wane, slowly but steadily.

The failed coup laid bare the weaknesses of Putin’s regime. Even the most skeptical have come to see his system as verging on failure. The coup wasn’t a result of external forces but rather an internal rebellion. The leader of the coup, Prigozhin, was not an outsider but someone nurtured within Putin’s regime, which speaks volumes about the dysfunctional state of his administration.

In conclusion, Putin’s actions since the failed coup, his unimpressive and incoherent performances, and his desperate attempts to rewrite history have only served to expose the weaknesses and fractures in his leadership. His continuous decline since 2018 has been exacerbated by the failed coup and his subsequent reactions. It’s evident that Putin’s reign is teetering, and the question now is not if but when it will crumble.