Putin bound to ‘escalate’ war as Russia continues to lose, prominent Kremlin critic says

Putin views losing power as an "existential threat," according to Bill Browder, a Kremlin critic who has pushed governments to clamp down on corrupt Russian officials.

As Russia faces a series of setbacks on the battlefield against Ukraine, President Vladimir Putin only knows how to do one thing, according to one of his most prominent critics: “escalate.”

That’s because Putin views the prospect of losing power as an “existential threat,” according to Bill Browder, a U.S. investment fund manager who has influenced Western governments into clamping down on corrupt Russian officials.

“If Putin were ever to lose power in Russia, he would lose all the money that he’s stolen over the last 22 years. He would go to jail, and he would die,” Browder said in a Thursday interview for The West Block with host Mercedes Stephenson, aired Sunday.

“So for Putin, he views it as an existential threat. He cannot lose power.”

The Russian president has faced a series of setbacks in recent weeks — on the battlefield in Ukraine and at home.

Ukrainian forces have been gaining ground in a counteroffensive they’ve been waging, which was first launched in late August. The push has forced the Russian occupation to roll back across large parts of the northeast.

It also triggered Putin to push for new military reinforcements.

Russia has called for up to 300,000 soldiers to fight in the seven-month-long conflict with Ukraine, a move that sparked a mass exodus of Russian men from their home country. While Putin said the callup was “partial” and would only target men with past military service, the Associated Press reported numerous claims that men with no military training and of all ages have received draft notices.