"Putin's Friend Has Already Been Arrested"

• 20.06.2026, 14:20

Some interesting trends have begun to emerge in Russia.

The situation in Russia is gradually becoming more unstable. Several particularly interesting events have taken place there recently. And “for dessert,” the Ukrainian Defense Forces recently launched an attack on the Moscow Oil Refinery.

Political strategist Taras Zagorodniy told “Channel 24” that the day before, one of St. Petersburg’s most influential Russian businessmen Ilya Traber, who had left the criminal underworld, had been arrested the day before. It is known for certain that he was close to the dictator Putin. He was considered untouchable.

According to Zagorodny, an internal power struggle is beginning among the Russian elite. In this context, it is worth recalling a recent statement by former FSB director and Putin’s aide Nikolai Patrushev, who blamed the rescue workers for the deaths of the “Nord-Ost” hostages. They allegedly failed to figure out the antidote, which led to the deaths. At that time, in 2002, the local Ministry of Emergency Situations was headed by Sergei Shoigu.

“We are seeing tension among the elites. And right now, the main issue isn’t what Muscovites are going through because of the attacks on the oil refinery. That’s just the backdrop. The main thing is that a ‘showdown’ is beginning within the government. And it’s important that this spills over into the security forces. That will create instability,” said Zagorodniy.

But when it comes to representatives of the local mafia, this is a positive trend for Ukraine. It’s clear that the crisis in Russia continues to escalate.