'A palace coup': Russian chess player reveals how he believes Putin could be ousted by his own allies

A Russian chess legend is predicting that Russian President Vladamir Putin might be facing a revolt from his inner circle much sooner than later.

On Monday, April 18, Garry Kasparov appeared on CNN where he weighed in on the growing tension in Putin's circle as he noted that he believes there may be a “palace coup” within the authoritarian's inner circle. During the interview, CNN’s Paula Reid asked Kasparov if he believes more pushback will come for Putin as the invasion of Ukraine dwindles.

“Eventually, yes,” said Kasparov, who is also a political activist and a known critic of Putin. He also added that “the order of moves that cannot be reversed.”

He went on to project how he sees this situation unfolding in the near future. “First, the Russian public and Russian elite, they have to recognize the war is lost,” he said. “The bad news coming from Ukraine will inspire more people to rise because economic hardship will increase.”

“So, military defeat in Ukraine, social-economic revolt, and then you will have conditions, the right conditions for a palace coup,” Kasparov predicted. “Because many of Putin’s inner circle will be looking for a scapegoat and it’s always a dictator who should be blamed for all the failures.”

Although the Russian military's advantage is faltering, Kasparov explained why Putin will continue to portray the situation as if he is heading toward victory. He added, “It’s a matter of political survival and in many cases … of physical survival. That’s why he has to pretend he is winning the war.”