Is Vladimir Putin losing his grip on power?

In this Special Edition of the PDB Afternoon Bulletin, we ask the question: is Vladimir Putin losing his grip on power?

We examine growing cracks in the regime: mysterious deaths, arrested billionaires, and an economy cannibalizing itself to fund the war in Ukraine. Across the region, longtime allies are turning away—and inside Russia, dissent is brewing, from quiet protests to ultranationalists now calling Putin weak.

Control still looks firm on the surface—but the foundation may be shifting.