Moscow Forum Descends into Chaos as Elites Demand Putin’s Ouster

(KYIV) – Open dissent against the Russian dictator has erupted at the Moscow Economic Forum, where business leaders, scientists, and economists have publicly called for Vladimir Putin’s removal from power in an unprecedented display of elite disaffection. The forum descended into what observers have described as treasonous territory, with participants openly discussing the prospect of a coup and the terminal decline of the Russian economy.

The shift in tone marks a dramatic departure from the carefully managed silence that has characterised Russian public life for decades. According to forum participants, the situation has reached a point where remaining silent no longer makes sense. One attendee noted that whether one stays silent or speaks out, the economic consequences will be severe either way. The unwritten social contract between the state and business, whereby entrepreneurs refrained from political interference in exchange for operational freedom, has been shattered. The state has progressively encroached upon private enterprise through nationalisation schemes that transfer assets to Kremlin loyalists at nominal cost. The very existence of independent business is now at stake.

The forum heard direct references to internal instability. Participants spoke of growing doubts about the country’s prospects for stability, noting that 2026 has brought increasing discussion of a potential coup, internal turmoil, and clan infighting among the elite. Such language, spoken in a public forum, would have been unthinkable only three months ago. Russian scientist Robert Enig Matulin addressed the gathering with a thinly veiled critique of the dictator’s longevity in office. He stated that one cannot keep the same people with the same approach for twenty five years. He warned that real restructuring in the Russian system only ever occurs after a collapse, adding that the economy is already in decline with downturns recorded in December, January, and February.

Political scientist Katarina Schulman was more direct, telling the forum that where there is Putin, there is no internet. She argued that the regime’s tightening of digital controls has created a simple dependency: under the current authorities, Russians will have no connection. Economist and industrialist Vladimir BLV spoke of the limited time any elite has in power, referencing a purely physiological moment when a decision must be made about what happens next. The implication of physical removal was clear to those in attendance.

While the Moscow elite debated the dictator’s future, Ukrainian forces continued their systematic degradation of Russian military infrastructure. The Maguar unit of Ukraine’s Unmanned Systems Forces reported a record night of operations, destroying sixteen high value targets across occupied Crimea and Donetsk Oblast. The strikes included multiple Pantsir S1 air defence systems, a Buk M1 system of the type used to shoot down Malaysia Airlines Flight MH17 in 2014, and several Iskander ballistic missile bases. The destruction of Iskander stockpiles is particularly significant given the weapon’s five hundred kilogram warhead and its frequent use against Ukrainian civilian infrastructure. The footage of these engagements was released by the press service of the Ukrainian Unmanned Systems Forces, with operations conducted in the temporarily occupied Autonomous Republic of Crimea and Donetsk Oblast.

A notable strike targeted a building housing personnel from Russia’s elite Rubicon drone unit. Multiple Firepoint drone impacts obliterated the structure and eliminated the occupants inside. The repeated strikes reduced the building to rubble in what local residents described as an impressive display of precision.

Further south, Ukrainian drones struck the Tuapse oil refinery on the Russian Black Sea coast, the only such facility in the region. The resulting fire has spread to multiple storage tanks and continues to burn, with satellite data indicating a smoke plume extending over two hundred kilometres. NASA firms data confirmed multiple ignition points across the facility.

In a revealing admission of battlefield reality, prominent Russian nationalist Anton Krasnovski conceded that taking Kyiv is no longer feasible. Speaking to Ksenia Sobchak, the goddaughter of the Russian dictator, he stated that while he considers Kyiv and Warsaw to be Russian cities, the cost in lives to capture the Ukrainian capital would now be prohibitive. He nevertheless maintained delusional claims that Warsaw forms part of a historic Russian Empire. Separately, Russian actress Arena Aeximova expressed her dream of performing in Odesa once the city welcomes Russians as masters, a statement made as Russian missile strikes killed eight people in Odesa overnight, including one minor.

The Russian dictator convened his economic team in what appeared to be a staged propaganda exercise, opening the meeting by attributing the country’s economic contraction to calendar anomalies. He noted that January had two fewer working days than the previous year and February had one fewer, citing these as objective circumstances affecting performance. He then demanded detailed reports on why macroeconomic indicators remain below government and central bank forecasts. Russian business investment has plummeted to its lowest level since the COVID-19 pandemic, according to a survey of eleven thousand five hundred enterprises.

A poll conducted in St. Petersburg and the surrounding region on 9 and 10 April found that thirty percent of respondents now intend to emigrate, with the majority being residents under the age of thirty five. The primary catalyst cited is the regime’s progressive isolation of the internet. Meanwhile, Russia’s most popular female blogger, a resident of Monaco with thirteen million followers, appeared on social media in tears after what analysts assess was a coercive visit from the FSB. Having previously criticised the government for economic mismanagement, she abruptly reversed her position, praised the Kremlin, and begged international media outlets including the BBC to leave her alone.

On 13 April 2014, residents of Zaporizhzhia demonstrated the civilian resistance that has characterised Ukraine’s defiance. When Russian backed agitators attempted to seize local government buildings, ordinary citizens mobilised without firearms, driving off the intruders using eggs, bags of flour, and water balloons. The episode stands as an enduring symbol of Ukrainian civil society’s rejection of Russian domination.