Senior Russian officials are in 'active discussions' about replacing Vladimir Putin, according to the Ukrainian Chief of Defence intelligence.
Major General Kyrylo Budanov has claimed Putin, 70, is unlikely to last until the end of the war and that discussions are already taking place for him to be removed from power.
The claim comes as Russian forces continue to suffer major setbacks with Ukrainian forces pushing them back into the east of the country.
Major General Budanov even claimed that Ukraine is aiming to recapture Kherson by the end of November.
In a claim which would have been unthinkable at the start of the war, he then told The War Zone that Ukraine would even attempt to take back the Crimea, which was annexed by Russia in 2014.
Ukrainian successes — or Russian failures — have since made this a possibility, though the war is far from over despite Ukraine's counteroffensive.
Major General Budanov outlined what Ukraine could potentially consider to be an endgame to the war.
He said that the restoration of Ukraine's borders in 1991, when it first became independent, could be a good position from which they would look to end the war.
For Putin however things may not turn out quite so rosy, with 'active discussions' about his replacement now said to be in full swing.
Major General Budanov said: "It's unlikely that he survives it. And currently, there's active discussions happening in Russia about who'd be there to replace him."
Ukraine recently launched a counteroffensive eastwards which is now seeing Russian forces retreating as Ukraine looks to recapture the city of Kherson.
With the Russian army in open retreat in many areas, Putin has already had to resort to conscripting male civilians, a move which has seen an exodus of men of fighting age attempting to flee the country.
Putin has even made thinly veiled threats of nuclear retaliation if NATO escalates its involvement in the conflict.
While any threat of this magnitude is grave, it could also be an act of desperation amid growing unrest within Russia, though Putin's media campaign within Russian-controlled territory remains relentless.
However, the war is far from over and while Ukraine has made massive gains there is still no guarantee of victory.
Putin's threats of nuclear escalation remain, as well as the question of who would replace him if he were toppled and how their approach to the war might differ.
