UK intelligence speaks about Putin's moves indicating preparations for re-election

The announcement of Putin's final annual press conference and his "showy" meetings with the military command are already likely to be an element of the Kremlin leader's election campaign. 

Source: UK MoD Defence Intelligence review on 15 November on Twitter (X), as reported by European Pravda

Details: On 9 November, the Kremlin announced that Vladimir Putin would hold a traditional closing press conference with calls "from the people" [a public phone-in - ed.] at the end of 2023. In 2022, the event was not held - apparently due to the Kremlin’s failures in Ukraine. 

Quote: "Kremlin planners will almost certainly see the event as an important waypoint in Putin’s anticipated campaign to secure a fifth term in office in the March 2024 presidential elections. He is likely to announce his candidacy before the end of 2023," the review notes. 

Putin's trip to the headquarters of the Southern Military District in Rostov-on-Don, where he met with Valery Gerasimov, the Chief of the General Staff of the Russian Federation, and Defence Minister Sergei Shoigu, is also mentioned – this is his second visit in the last four weeks. 

As the analysts say, this is how Putin is continuing to create a "patriotic" image while preparing for the elections. 

In one of its latest reviews, UK intelligence also described how Russia is strengthening its control over the Wagner PMC. 

Reminder:

In October, the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe (PACE) called on the member states of the Council to recognise Vladimir Putin as illegitimate after the end of his current presidential term and declared Russia a dictatorship.

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