Z-channels Call For A Change Of Power In Russia

• 19.05.2026, 15:21

And they name a successor.

Amid the strikes on Moscow and the protracted nature of the war, some Russian Z-resources have begun to increasingly openly criticize Putin and even speculate about his possible replacement.

Telegram channel "Sixth Day | ROMAN ROMANOV," which has an audience of more than 30,000 subscribers, published a scathing post claiming that Putin failed to address Russians after one of the largest drone attacks on Moscow and is avoiding a public presence in war.

The author of the post said the Kremlin chief is allegedly unable to offer a strategy for winning, ending the conflict or withdrawing from it, but is only stalling for time while waiting for the situation to resolve itself.

The post reads:

"Can we finally ask ourselves why we need a president who is afraid to be with his people in a war that he himself started? He doesn't know how to win it, how to end it, how to get out of it, and is just stalling for time in the hope that everything will sort itself out? Putin is afraid and not ready to risk himself, that is why he does not visit Belgorod and Kursk, Tuapse and Krymsk. Putin is afraid to even meet with his own ministers and diplomats without the presence of the FSO. Putin is afraid to go to Red Square after May 9 without security guarantees from Trump."

The channel's authors conclude that if Putin, in their estimation, is not ready to meet "historical challenges," then other figures should take his place.

The first deputy head of the presidential administration, Sergei Kirienko, has been named as a possible successor.

These statements appear to be a telling change in rhetoric within the pro-war environment. Previously, Z-channels mainly