Janusz Bugajski, analyst, historian, and Jamestown Foundation expert in Washington, said this in an interview with the host of the Studio West program, Antin Borkovskyi, on Espreso TV.“Putin is taking on too many conflicts at once. There are escalating tensions with Azerbaijan, and reports indicate that Russian troops have been deployed to the border region. There are also rising tensions with the Baltic states and with Finland. Not to mention, of course, the war against Ukraine, where over a million Russian soldiers have either been killed or incapacitated due to injury. Russia is stretching itself too thin. The leadership still believes the country is a great power. They still view themselves almost as a continuation of the Soviet Union,” commented Janusz Bugajski.According to him, everyone remembers how the story of the USSR ended, having overloaded itself with global ambitions. It seems that Russia today is caught in the same trap. And when a bear is dying, it roars the loudest and behaves the most aggressively.“President Putin clearly wants to remain in power indefinitely. However, even recently, there have been signs of emerging power struggles and purges within the Russian political system. The recent death of the transport minister, whether by suicide or assassination, is alarming. He is the first minister to die under such circumstances, which recalls the dynamics of Stalin's era. Oligarchs are also under increasing pressure, being forced to contribute money to the state as the Russian budget faces a severe shortfall. The state reserve fund is also being depleted, and it is expected to run out by the end of this year or early next year. When we look at all these factors together, we can see that the Russian economy and the structure of Russian power are beginning to implode,” the analyst noted.Bugajski added that one should not pay attention to official statements by Russian officials, but should closely monitor what is happening inside Russia itself.Over the weekend of July 5-6, departures and arrivals were canceled at Russia’s Sheremetyevo, Pulkovo, and Strigino airports. This transport collapse is estimated to have caused 20 billion rubles in losses.On July 7, Putin dismissed Russia’s Minister of Transport, Roman Starovoit, who had held the position since May 2024. On the same day, Roman Starovoit was found dead in Odintsovo (a satellite city of Moscow). Preliminary reports indicate that he shot himself.