Since Vladimir Putin came to power, Russia has turned into a totalitarian state. Russian leader has been meticulously guarding his regime from any threats. Now, he reportedly fears that a coup may be looming.

According to The Telegraph, panic has gripped the Kremlin as Putin ” runs out of cards to play,” while U.S. President Donald Trump “turns the screws.”

The outlet recalls that the Russian Federal Security Service (FSB) recently accused Mikhail Khodorkovsky, who currently resides in London, along with 22 members of The Russian Antiwar Committee, of plotting a coup. According to Russian intelligence, the committee — created to oppose Russia’s war against Ukraine — allegedly plans “violent seizure of power and overthrow of the constitutional order in the Russian Federation.”

Experts see this as a sign of a new sense of vulnerability in the Russian leader. “It tells us that the Kremlin is being paranoid. Putin is looking for enemies to try to bolster his regime,” said former U.S. Ambassador to Ukraine John Herbst.

Earlier, in 2023, the leader of the Wagner Group, Yevgeny Prigozhin, attempted to march on Moscow against Putin. The mutiny failed, and Prigozhin later died in a plane crash.

As The Telegraph notes, Khodorkovsky has no plans for military actions against the Kremlin. After spending 10 years in a Siberian prison, he emigrated to Europe and founded The Russian Antiwar Committee in 2022.

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Experts believe the FSB’s accusations reveal the Kremlin’s fear of a power transition, since there is no obvious successor in Russia should Putin die.

They also point out that the international legitimacy of the Russian opposition could become a crucial factor in the event of a sudden change of power. That is why the Kremlin seeks to discredit and intimidate the committee and other potential opposition figures.

As Ukrinform reported earlier, on Wednesday, the U.S. Department of the Treasury announced sanctions against two major Russian oil companies — Rosneft and Lukoil — while urging Moscow to immediately agree to a ceasefire in Ukraine.