Putin was described as a "dead man walking" by James Olson, a decorated former head of counterintelligence, in a direct interview with the Sun.
"It is not going well at all. I believe Putin is in a no-win situation now," the 30-year veteran of the spy agency said.
According to Olson, Putin will never agree to withdraw his forces from Ukraine until they assume complete control over the four partially occupied regions that were illegally annexed by Russia in the fall.
"If Putin stays in power, there will be a long war because he will not give up — but I do not think that Putin is going to stay in power," Olson said. "I believe that he will be removed from power."
Olson said the 70-year-old Russian leader could either be deposed in an uprising or killed
"I think Putin will be taken out," he said. "I would not rule out assassination."
Russian President Vladimir Putin could be deposed from power, or assassinated by his military leaders eager to bring an end to the war, according to a former CIA official.
The retired spymaster and author, who serves as professor of international affairs at Texas A&M University, opined that Russia's military leaders are "disgusted" by the high casualty rate in Ukraine.
Were Putin's discontented generals to turn on him, Olson said, he would be "a dead man walking."
"He would not survive that. I think that it is more likely that Putin will be eliminated than a military defeat," he said.
An update from the UK Ministry of Defense on Sunday stated that since February 2022, Russia has suffered around 200,000 casualties in Ukraine — a number that includes both killed and wounded soldiers.
James Olson, former CIA chief of counterintelligence, predicted that the war in Ukraine would end once Putin is gone.
The latest estimate from Ukraine's Ministry of Defense puts the number of "eliminated" Russian servicemen at more than 175,000.
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