FSB to morph into another military force in Russia following Putin's “elections” — political expert Denysenko

He shared his opinions with Espreso TV.

"There were two multidirectional movements in Russia’s information space regarding the ‘elections’. On one hand, Russians have been lulled into a false sense of security, being reassured with promises of elections and swift resolution to the war by Putin. Presently, based on sociological indicators and Russian sentiments, many genuinely believe that the war will cease after the elections. However, this optimism is likely to fade once reality sets in. On the other hand, the majority of Russian propagandists continue to advocate for further territorial expansion into Ukraine. That, if Ukrainian forces become exhausted, the Ukrainian front could collapse within the next 2-3 months," the political expert commented.

According to him, from a military point of view, the "elections" in Russia have no impact on the war. These "elections" were not about the war, but about Vladimir Putin's imperialism, about changing the system of governance and the social contract in Russia, as well as about tightening the screws, that is, about increasing repression.

"It is very symptomatic and indicative that the first official meeting that Putin held inside Russia after the 'elections' was a meeting of the FSB apparatus. That is, Putin gathered a large board of the FSB, where he said two things. First, he thanked them for keeping the situation under control, and second, he said that the FSB needs to be armed even more, because there are border troops that should turn into another army inside Russia. At this point, we can de facto say that there are two large armies in Russia, the Russian Armed Forces and the Rosgvardia. Now, apparently, the FSB will become the third army in Russia in 2024 and 2025. And this is necessary solely to prevent any thoughts of a coup, because Putin is still cautious about the generals, so he is afraid of coups," the journalist said.

Vadym Denysenko summarized that the "elections" in Russia were exclusively about the internal situation and had nothing to do with the Russian-Ukrainian war.

• Vladimir Putin was "elected" for a new term in the so-called presidential elections in Russia that took place on March 15 to 17. He has already been congratulated on his "victory" by the leaders of the DPRK, China, Iran, Belarus, Kazakhstan, Uzbekistan, Azerbaijan, India, Syria, Pakistan, Qatar, and Turkey.