Ukrainian intelligence officials say Russian elites are conspiring to overthrow Russian President Vladimir Putin and "restore economic ties" with the West.
The Chief Directorate of Intelligence for the Ministry of Defense of Ukraine posted the claim on social media Sunday.
"Poisoning, sudden illness, accident — Russia's elite is considering removing Putin," the ministry's intelligence subdivision declared on Facebook.
The ministry said that a group of "influential people" wanted to "remove Putin from power as soon as possible and restore economic ties with the West, which were destroyed by the war in Ukraine."
Alexander Bortnikov, Russian director of the Federal Security Service (FSB) and a member of Putin's inner circle, supposedly was being eyed as the president's successor.
Bortnikov was said to have fallen out of favor with Putin after "fatal miscalculations" in Ukraine.
"The official reason for the disgrace of the head of the FSB — fatal miscalculations in the war against Ukraine," the post said. "It was Bortnikov and his department who were responsible for analyzing the mood of the Ukrainian population and the capacity of the Ukrainian army.
"It is known that Bortnikov and some other influential members of the Russian elite are considering various options for removing Putin from power. In particular, poisoning, sudden illness, or other ‘accident' is not excluded."
The post said Russians leaking news about a possible overthrow could "be an attempt to establish cooperation with the Ukrainian authorities."
The post added that the FSB might be trying "to weaken" the influence of Chechen Republic leader Ramzan Kadyrov, who had been posting reports of leading an elite force of soldiers against Ukraine.
The reports have been suggested as an intimidation tactic, with The Wall Street Journal referring to Kadyrov as a "warlord."
News that Russian elites were looking to overthrow Putin would be welcome news to Sen. Lindsey Graham, R-S.C., who last week again expressed hope that someone would "take out" the president.
Graham continues to maintain that Putin needs to be neutralized despite widespread criticism Graham received after initially saying he hoped the Russian leader would be assassinated.
"I hope he’ll be taken out, one way or another," Graham said when he was asked by a CNN reporter whether he still stood by his earlier calls for Putin to be assassinated. "I don't care how they take him out. I don't care if we send him to the Hague and try him, I just want him to go."
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