Putin is in trouble as the war finally comes to Moscow

close Cancel email WhatsApp link share Share bookmark Save

Vladimir Putin is facing mounting pressure over Ukraine’s escalating attacks on Moscow, which he has been able to largely insulate from the war until now.

Residents of the city describe widespread alarm and criticism of authorities after a series of damaging strikes over recent weeks that the regime has appeared helpless to prevent. Even loyalist media are joining a rising chorus of dissent. The rising threat could force the Russian President to consider exit strategies from the war, analysts believe.

The strikes are a blow to the Kremlin, which has sought to protect Moscow from more than four years of war. Army recruitment and casualties have disproportionately fallen on provinces, prisons and foreign fighters to spare the capital.

Shorts Scroll to previous short Scroll to next short What is the Ebola virus – and how does it spread? Brain aneurysm treated via eye socket in UK first Maga is turning on Trump – here’s what happens next 1 2 3 4 5 HEALTH What is the Ebola virus – and how does it spread? Caption: TOPSHOT – A staff member of the CBCA Virunga Hospital checks a visitor’s temperature using a a contactless infrared thermometer, before allowing her access to the hospital in Goma on May 17, 2026. A first case of Ebola virus infection has been reported in Goma, a major city in eastern Democratic Republic of Congo controlled by the M23 armed group, with the WHO declaring an international health alert on Sunday. According to figures released Saturday by the African Union’s health agency (Africa CDC), 88 deaths likely caused by the virus have been recorded, out of 336 suspected cases. One death has been reported in neighboring Uganda. As the epicenter of the outbreak is located in a hard-to-reach area, few samples have been tested in laboratories and the figures are based largely on suspected cases. (Photo by Jospin Mwisha / AFP via Getty Images)

An outbreak of the Ebola virus in the Democratic Republic of Congo has been declared an international emergency by the World Health Organisation (WHO).

WHO director-general Tedros Adhanom said he was “deeply concerned” about the scale and speed of its spread. 1 2 3 4 5 How does Ebola spread? Fruit bat hosts Ebola is a disease, often deadly, caused by a virus which normally infects animals – typically fruit bats. The Rodrigues flying fox or Rodrigues fruit bat is very rare and native to the island

(Photo: Andrew Nicholls/Getty Images) Caption: Ebola virus, illustration.

Person to person Outbreaks can occur after people handle infected animals. The virus spreads person to person through infected blood and bodily fluids. Symptoms Symptoms can begin as a fever, progressing to vomiting and diarrhoea, and can lead to organ failure. Caption: People wash their hands at the entrance to a hospital in Bunia, Congo, Sunday, May 17, 2026. (AP Photo/ Dirole Lotsima Dieudonne)

1 2 3 4 5 How bad is the outbreak? At least 131 deaths from Ebola have been reported in the DR Congo and there have been over 513 cases suspected overall.

There have also been two cases and one death in Uganda, according to the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).

Africa CDC has warned that Rwanda and South Sudan are also at high risk. Rwanda has shut its borders with DR Congo.

The current Ebola outbreak poses a low risk to the British population, says the UK Government. 1 2 3 4 5 Is there a vaccine? There is currently no approved vaccine for Bundibugyo, the particular species of Ebola that has spread in DR Congo.

Experimental vaccines are being developed. Scientists hope a vaccine used against a different kind of Ebola called Zaire may be of use. WORLD The top pandemic threats as WHO declares Ebola emergency 6 min read 1 2 3 4 5 More from The i Paper on Ebola @theipaper The head of a global partnership working to accelerate the development of vaccines said concern about a fast-moving outbreak of Ebola in eastern Democratic Republic of Congo was “pretty high” on Tuesday, warning it could prove difficult to contain in a conflict-hit region with limited health infrastructure. At least 131 suspected deaths have been recorded, with more than 500 suspected cases and 33 confirmed cases in Congo, according to health authorities. Two confirmed cases have also been reported in neighbouring Uganda. #US #news ♬ original sound – The i Paper – The i Paper 1 2 3 4 Brain aneurysm treated via eye socket in British breakthrough Surgeons have successfully treated an aneurysm through a man’s eye socket – a UK medical first that avoids the need for a riskier form of brain surgery. Caption: EMBARGOED TO 0001 TUESDAY MAY 19

Andrew Wood at Leeds Teaching Hospitals NHS Trust. Mr Wood has been spared from undergoing a craniotomy after surgeons performed a UK-first operation displacing his eye to treat a brain problem. Surgeons at Leeds Teaching Hospitals NHS Trust performed a keyhole brain aneurysm operation though the eye socket – the first time this operation has ever been carried out in the UK. Picture date: Tuesday May 12, 2026. PA Photo. Photo credit should read: Richard McCarthy/PA Wire

Read more 1 2 3 4 How did the surgeons do it? Caption: EMBARGOED TO 0001 TUESDAY MAY 19

Undated handout photo issued by Leeds Teaching Hospitals NHS Trust or the neruosurgery team operating on Andrew Wood at Leeds Teaching Hospitals NHS Trust. Mr Wood has been spared from undergoing a craniotomy after surgeons performed a UK-first operation displacing his eye to treat a brain problem. Surgeons at Leeds Teaching Hospitals NHS Trust performed a keyhole brain aneurysm operation though the eye socket – the first time this operation has ever been carried out in the UK. Issue date: Tuesday May 19, 2026. PA Photo. Photo credit should read: Leeds Teaching Hospitals NHS/PA Wire

NOTE TO EDITORS: This handout photo may only be used for editorial reporting purposes for the contemporaneous illustration of events, things or the people in the image or facts mentioned in the caption. Reuse of the picture may require further permission from the copyright holder.

Provider: Leeds Teaching Hospitals NHS/PA Wire

Aneurysm treated Surgeons treated 61-year-old grandfather Andrew Wood, who had a brain aneurysm, which is a life-threatening swollen blood vessel. Skull left alone Doctors usually remove parts of the skull and move parts of the brain to treat such cases. Caption: EMBARGOED TO 0001 TUESDAY MAY 19

Undated handout photo issued by Leeds Teaching Hospitals NHS Trust of consultant neurosurgeon Asim Sheikh (left) and Maxillofacial Surgeon Mr Jiten Parmar during the operation on Andrew Wood at Leeds Teaching Hospitals NHS Trust. Mr Wood has been spared from undergoing a craniotomy after surgeons performed a UK-first operation displacing his eye to treat a brain problem. Surgeons at Leeds Teaching Hospitals NHS Trust performed a keyhole brain aneurysm operation though the eye socket – the first time this operation has ever been carried out in the UK. Issue date: Tuesday May 19, 2026. PA Photo. Photo credit should read: Leeds Teaching Hospitals NHS/PA Wire

Caption: EMBARGOED TO 0001 TUESDAY MAY 19

Undated handout photo issued by Leeds Teaching Hospitals NHS Trust of the neruosurgery team operating on Andrew Wood at Leeds Teaching Hospitals NHS Trust. Mr Wood has been spared from undergoing a craniotomy after surgeons performed a UK-first operation displacing his eye to treat a brain problem. Surgeons at Leeds Teaching Hospitals NHS Trust performed a keyhole brain aneurysm operation though the eye socket – the first time this operation has ever been carried out in the UK. Issue date: Tuesday May 19, 2026. PA Photo. Photo credit should read: Leeds Teaching Hospitals NHS/PA Wire

Eye socket surgery But Leeds Teaching Hospitals NHS Trust team instead performed keyhole surgery through Wood’s eye socket. 1 2 3 4 The big breakthrough Caption: EMBARGOED TO 0001 TUESDAY MAY 19

Consultant neurosurgeon Asim Sheikh holding a bespoke 3D printed model of patient Andrew Wood’s eye socket at Leeds Teaching Hospitals NHS Trust. Mr Wood has been spared from undergoing a craniotomy after surgeons performed a UK-first operation displacing his eye to treat a brain problem. Surgeons at Leeds Teaching Hospitals NHS Trust performed a keyhole brain aneurysm operation though the eye socket – the first time this operation has ever been carried out in the UK. Picture date: Tuesday May 12, 2026. PA Photo. Photo credit should read: Richard McCarthy/PA Wire

Consultant neurosurgeon Asim Sheikh said getting to the aneurysm without “having to touch the brain” reduced the risk of fatal complications.

Sheikh said the UK-first was a “significant step forward in minimally invasive brain surgery”. LIFESTYLE I’m a women’s health surgeon – eight things I wish every midlife woman knew 5 min read 1 2 3 4 How is Andrew Wood now? The 61-year-old patient only spent one night in hospital, compared to roughly a week for traditional brain surgery. Wood was asked to make toast and a cup of tea “to make sure my faculties were OK”, then was told he could go home. Caption: EMBARGOED TO 0001 TUESDAY MAY 19

Wood, from Wakefield, has since returned to work as a builder. “It has been perfect since, I’ve had no double vision, no pain,” he said. 1 2 3 4 5 (Photo: Eduardo Munoz/Reuters). US POLITICS Why Maga is turning on Trump and what it means for US elections

The unpopular Iran war is causing some once-loyal supporters of the Make America Great Again movement to criticise the US President.

The outpouring of frustration means the Republicans could suffer at the ballot box at the US midterms in November, say experts. 1 2 3 4 5 What does right-wing America think? Joe Rogan Influential right-wing podcaster Joe Rogan has called Trump’s war with Iran “so insane”. Caption: LAS VEGAS, NEVADA – MARCH 08: Joe Rogan announces a fight during the UFC 313 event at T-Mobile Arena on March 08, 2025 in Las Vegas, Nevada. (Photo by Chris Unger/Zuffa LLC)

Once an avid Trump supporter, Tucker Carlson now frequently lashes out at the President. (Picture: Giorgio Viera/AFP/Getty Images) Tucker Carlson Conservative pundit Tucker Carlson has said: “This is Israel’s war. This is not the United States’ war.” Megyn Kelly Right-wing broadcaster Megyn Kelly recently retweeted someone who said the Iran war is “not worth losing the midterms over”. Caption: TUSCALOOSA, ALABAMA – DECEMBER 06: Former FOX News host and moderator Megyn Kelly takes the stage ahead of the NewsNation Presidential Primary Debate at the University of Alabama Moody Music Hall on December 6, 2023 in Tuscaloosa, Alabama. Republican presidential candidates Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis, former U.N. Ambassador Nikki Haley, Vivek Ramaswamy and former New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie will participate in the fourth Republican primary debate without current frontrunner and former U.S. President Donald Trump, who has declined to participate in any of the previous debates. (Photo by Justin Sullivan/Getty Images)

1 2 3 4 5 Young Republicans most anti-war A Politico-Public First poll in mid-April found that 59 per cent of Trump voters over 55 still support the war with Iran.

However, just 28 per cent of Trump voters aged 18 to 34 back his military mission in the Middle East.

Trump’s approval rating has slumped to 37 per cent in the latest New York Times-Siena poll.

Some 65 per cent of American voters disapprove of the Iran war, the same mid-May poll found. 1 2 3 4 5 What will happen at the midterms? Dr John Hart, a US government expert, said the Republicans are expected to lose control of the House in November. The fate of the Senate is less clear, he said.

Beyond the midterms, there are signs of young Maga supporters turning away from Vice President JD Vance as Trump’s successor.

One college student told Politico that Tucker Carlson is a “good option” as the next Republican nominee instead of Vance. WORLD Maga is turning on Trump – here's what happens next 4 min read 1 2 3 4 5 More from The i Paper on Trump @theipaper Donald Trump has said it would be “tough” for Keir Starmer to survive as Prime Minister if he doesn’t make changes to immigration and energy policies, but did describe him as “a nice man”. Speaking on board Air Force One, the US President said Starmer’s “in trouble for two reasons, energy and immigration. He’s very bad on energy. He should open up the North Sea”. #ukpolitics #uspolitics ♬ original sound – The i Paper – The i Paper

Ukraine fired more than 500 drones at Moscow over Saturday night in its largest assault on the city of the war, following a deadly Russian attack on Kyiv. The barrage killed three and injured 12, according to Russian authorities, as well as shutting down airports and hitting oil facilities.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky hailed the attack as a sign that Ukraine’s rapidly advancing drones can now pierce the strongest enemy defences and even the balance of power after years of Russian strikes on Kyiv.

“The Moscow region is the most heavily saturated with Russian air defence systems,” he said. “Our long-range capabilities are significantly changing the situation.”

Attacks on Moscow continued this week with local authorities issuing drone alerts on Monday and Tuesday, and the threat is likely to escalate.

Kyiv says it will produce seven million drones this year, including dozens of long-range designs, and attacks could soon include home-made ballistic missiles. Ukrainian defence firm Fire Point said on Tuesday that its “Flamingo” model will be capable of striking Moscow within months.

Ukraine has developed a variety of long-range drones capable of hitting targets deep inside Russia (Photo: Sergei Supinsky/AFP/Getty)

Putin has sought to maintain a sense of normality in the capital despite the growing impact of the war, with public and cultural events continuing and no curfew imposed in Moscow. But the Russian leader signalled his concern about Ukraine’s long-range threat by seeking a ceasefire during a pared-down Victory Day parade earlier this month.

Andrei Soldatov, a Russian investigative journalist in exile, who covered the Kremlin and its security services, suggested the Russian leader had broken an unspoken contract with the urban elite. “The deal was, ‘We do not talk about the war and you keep us safe’. Obviously now this deal is broken,” he said. “This has an effect on public opinion.”

Moscow residents approached by The i Paper described mounting unease over the attacks. They spoke anonymously for safety reasons. A businessman who lives in the city suburbs, said there has been a “different atmosphere” over the past weeks, with many Muscovites “unsettled” by the threat. “For sure, people blame the authorities but it’s not often spoken about in public for obvious reasons,” he said.

Local authorities introduced an app warning of incoming fire last month, said one resident. But they added that air raid sirens often fail to function, adding to the sense of alarm. “Numerous drones have been in my area but no sirens.”

Another resident, who works in logistics, said fear is greatest on the outskirts of the city where air defences are weakest. “People are worried,” he said. “Drones are falling on their land and may kill.”

A translated guide for citizens in drone attacks distributed by the Russian government

Residents report that Moscow’s main airports, which also serve as connectors for locations across the country, are being shut down on a daily basis for hours at a time. Measures introduced to thwart attacks, such as internet blackouts and jamming of mobile signals, have proved unpopular and disruptive. One resident described long queues at cash points as mobile payment services failed.

Making the capital pay a price is key to Ukraine’s strategy to pressure Putin to end the war, said Ukrainian MP Oleksii Goncharenko. “For more than four years, Putin has worked hard to keep this war invisible to Muscovites. That bubble is central to his political model: the provinces fight and die, while the capital lives as if nothing is happening,” he said.

“Every Ukrainian drone that forces Sheremetyevo or Vnukovo [airports] to shut down cracks that model a little further and shifts the cost-benefit calculation inside the Kremlin.

“The surest way to make Putin reconsider his aggressive plans is to ensure that continuing the war becomes more dangerous for him than ending it.”

Kremlin-friendly media members have broken ranks to highlight the failure to deal with the drone threat.

After the attack on Saturday, journalist Pavel Zarubin asked Putin’s spokesperson Dmitry Peskov: “We have these powerful bombs…But so what? It seems that a nuclear power can be bitten.”

The Two Majors Telegram channel, one of Russia’s most popular military news outlets, accused the defence ministry of trying to cover up drone attacks by “only reporting successes”.

Moscow’s main airports, such as Sheremetyevo International, have been shut down by drone attacks (Photo: Pavel Bednyakov/AP)

Soldatov notes that Putin is not accountable to his public and has the option to increase repression in the short term. But growing signs of domestic discontent, from declining approval ratings to criticism from fashion bloggers, questions from his inner circle and limited progress on the battlefield, could force him to ponder exit strategies from the war.

“I think not immediately, because right now the sentiment is humiliation after 9 May [Victory Day] and the drone attacks on Moscow, so he needs to show he is responding to Ukraine,” he said. “It might take two or three months to realise it’s probably a good time to start thinking seriously about a ceasefire.”

Max Hess, a Eurasia analyst at the Foreign Policy Research Institute, said Putin was unlikely to change his strategy in the near-term. But the growing Ukrainian threat, particularly to Moscow airports, could create openings for diplomacy.

“It increases Ukraine’s leverage in securing potential future energy or long-range weapon ceasefires, something Trump has pushed for but which have never held,” he said.

That leverage will only increase as Ukraine’s long-range weapons improve, said former Nato official Edward Hunter Christie, predicting this will impact Moscow’s ability to continue the war within a year. “Ukraine is increasingly developing new, long-range strike systems that are going to be more potent with stronger payloads, and harder to intercept than the long-range drones that Ukraine is currently using,” he said.

“One year from now, if the war is still ongoing, we will see much more decisive Ukrainian long-range strikes on targets across Western Russia. Strikes that cause considerably more material damage, and higher costs on the Russian economy and ability to conduct its war effort.”