Putin won't make it out of the bunker if Russian special services no longer need him - Vitaly Portnikov

He made the comments on air on Espreso TV.

"Putin does not think about his people, there are no bomb shelters in Moscow. The main thing there is that Putin is happy. Putin has a conspiracy mentality. He may think that he is hiding in a bunker not necessarily from the Americans.

He will hide from his entourage if they want to kill him. But anything can happen in the bunker. For example, poor oxygen circulation. So far, this has not happened, because his activities happen to be also in the interests of the Russian political elite and people. He expresses the interests of people living in Russia. If he stops doing this, a way to get rid of him will be found," Portnikov stressed. 

According to the journalist, Putin is immortal for as long he is at war with Ukraine and continues to give the Russians hope that he will still seize some territory.

"There is no point hoping that the Russians will change their point of view due to deteriorating living standards in the country. Now there are many opportunities for the electronic surveillance of people, unlike before. There are modern ways of controlling public opinion. This is all a problem for the people and for Putin. He can sit in a bunker and think that he is secure. But when the Russian special services decide that Putin only creates problems and they no longer need him, he will not make it out of the bunker," Portnikov added.