VLADIMIR Putin has become “a victim of his own system” and will likely “die in harness”, Britain’s former top man in Moscow claims.

The reeling tyrant has reached a stalemate in the Ukraine war, four years after blindsiding his own government with the secret invasion.

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Russian President Vladimir Putin is ‘determined to consolidate his power’ Credit: Alamy

Putin blindsided his own government when he decided to invade Ukraine, John Foreman said Credit: AFP

Now, the “greedy” Russian elite he has propped up are waiting in the wings to take over power.

John Foreman, Britain’s defence attaché to Moscow, described Putin as a “reactive character”.

He told The Jattvibe: “He sees opportunity and seizes it, rather than having any great plan going forward.”

Months before Putin’s invasion of Ukraine, Foreman met with Putin’s right-hand man, Sergei Shoigu, in Moscow.

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Defence Minister Sergei Shoigu, Putin and Commander-in-Chief of the Russian Navy Nikolai Yevmenov in 2021 Credit: Reuters

Servicemen of the Ukrainian National Guard take positions in central Kyiv in February 2022 Credit: Reuters

Britain had information that more than 250,000 Russian soldiers were building up on the Ukrainian border.

But, Foreman said: “He told us ‘we have no plans to attack Ukraine’.

“We got back to the embassy and somebody said, ‘they’re either lying to our faces or they don’t mean it’.”

Foreman came to the conclusion that Russia was lying, and it was time to prepare.

He said: “Unfortunately, our colleagues in France, Germany and Italy didn’t always trust us.

“Even the Ukrainians at that stage were saying it’s not going to happen.

“And we were saying, ‘look, we literally met these people. They mean it’.

“We looked into their eyes, and they’ve lied to our faces about their intention.”

Ukrainian volunteer recruits as the war entered its second year Credit: Getty

Putin saw opportunity in then US President Joe Biden, who he thought had a ‘weak touch’ Credit: AP

Just months later, Putin ordered his army into Ukraine in the most dramatic breach of European security since the Second World War.

It was a decision even those in Putin’s own government were surprised by, according to Foreman.

He said: “Putin and his small cabal around him – informal play people – made the call.

“The system was unprepared and the invasion was planned terribly.

“He fell under the spell of the FSB, who told him it would be an easy roll over.”

Putin was driven by his own imperial ambitions to absorb Ukraine, bolster Russia‘s global power and secure his own legacy, Foreman said.

He explained: “It’s personal to him. It’s not just about geopolitics.

“It’s about ethnicity. It’s about hurt. It’s about loss. It’s about anger. And I think all those things came together.”

A woman looks at an apartment building burning after a Russian missile attack in Kyiv on July 2, 2026 Credit: AP

A huge crater left by a Russian missile strike during the 11 hour barrage Credit: AP

The attacks were the the worst to hit Ukraine’s capital since the start of the war Credit: Reuters

Smoke rises in the city amid Russian attacks Credit: Reuters

But he also saw opportunity, in what he saw as the “weak touch” of former US President Joe Biden.

“Putin had done a build-up in 2021 and Biden responded by offering a summit,” Foreman said.

“He thought he could get away with it – fortunately he chose badly.”

A series of disasters followed that threatened to pull control from Putin’s grasp.

The Wagner Group shocked the world when it launched a mutiny in 2023 against Putin’s government.

Yevgeny Prigozhin – the late leader of the paramilitary force – accused officials of denying support to his fighters in Ukraine and mounted a rebellion.

But their charge towards the capital came to an abrupt end the following day.

Foreman said: “Putin managed to regain some sense of control but since then he’s just thrown people at the problem.”

As Moscow’s war in Ukraine drags into its fourth year, Russia has been dealt successive blows on the battlefield.

There have been more than 50 reported Ukrainian attacks on oil refineries and other energy facilities in Russia and occupied Crimea since March.

Ukrainian leaders say the barrage is intended to pressure Moscow to end the war.

But Putin appears unbothered by the severe fuel shortages sparked by Ukraine’s attacks.

Mercenaries with Russia’s Wagner Group in Russia’s city of Rostov-on-Don, June 24, 2023 Credit: AP

Flames and smoke rise from a Russian oil refinery after a Ukrainian drone attack Credit: Reuters

He has shrugged off the setback, dismissed ceasefire proposals and insisted the war will continue until his goals are met.

And Putin has responded with fury, unleashing an 11-hour overnight barrage on Kyiv into Thursday morning that killed at least 30 people.

It was one of the deadliest attacks on the Ukrainian capital since the start of the war.

Foreman said: “I don’t see any sign that what Ukraine is doing will force Putin to change his position.

“The war is going to continue – it is now one of survival, who can last the longest.”

Ukraine’s attacks have brought the war home for millions of Russians, shattering Putin’s narrative of the conflict as something that doesn’t affect the lives of ordinary people.

Some of the dictator’s most loyal supporters have already turned against him after internet outages swept Moscow.

But Foreman said: “Putin is ruthless and determined to consolidate his own power.”

In the years before his invasion of Ukraine, Putin passed constitutional amendments to ensure he could stay in power beyond 2024.

“Power drives Putin and with power comes great wealth,” Foreman said.

The wealth controlled by Putin and his inner circle of loyalist oligarchs has grown under his leadership.

Following Western sanctions and the exodus of foreign companies in 2022, Kremlin-friendly figures bought up lucrative commercial and military assets at steep discounts.

People queue to refuel their cars at a Rosneft gas station in Moscow on July 3, 2026 Credit: AFP

Smoke billows in the background following a Ukrainian drone attack, in Moscow on June 18, 2026 Credit: EPA

And during the war with Ukraine, the number of billionaires in Russia has reached an all-time high.

Amid declining popularity at home and abroad, Putin “is looking around for someone he can trust” but “can’t find somebody he can hand power over to”, Foreman said.

At the same time, the oligarchs of his regime “want him in place” to manage the competing sources of power.

Now, Putin has “become a prisoner of the system he created”, Foreman said.

And he will likely “die in harness” and become “the Robert Mugabe of Russia”.

Former president of Zimbabwe, Mugabe remained in power for 37 years – outlasting his greatest enemies and rivals.

Foreman said: “Each year Putin gets older, more stale, more detached from the man he used to be and more surrounded by ageing psychopaths.”

If Putin died in power, it would likely lead to a period of instability.

Foreman said: “They’re all kleptocrats in the elite, they’re motivated by power and greed. Not responsibility to the people of Moscow.

“They’re robbing the country from top to bottom and moving their money abroad.

“The West have enabled them to do that – we’ve provided a haven to them.”

For decades the “elites have dragged Russia backwards” leaving it “much more fragile than it looks”.

“It’s a deeply, deeply damaged society”, Foreman said.

When Putin is gone, power will be transferred to these elites, and “the whole system will carry on”.