There has been a continuous rally in Russia recently.From the military to the place, many people fell, and Putin was silent. Get serious.
The power behind. What is cleaning?Nobody can tell clearly.
Defense systems begin to be cleaned, and the tip of the iceberg emerges
The Russia-Ukraine conflict has lasted for so long, and pressure inside and outside Russia has accumulated.
The losses on the battlefield can be counted, and the changes in the power system are more intriguing.
Recently, the anti-corruption action in Russia has obviously accelerated.
The target of the investigation is no longer local officers, but directly to the military and core institutions.
From deputy ministers, military engineering, to border systems and communications command, many positions were quickly replaced, some were directly investigated, and some were imprisoned in custody.
On the surface, they are all classified as "anti-corruption", but everyone understands that what really needs to be done is not just a few corrupt cadres.
Many people are people who have been in key positions for a long time.
Some are responsible for defense procurement, some are responsible for military spending, and some even have close ties to the Kremlin.
What happened to these people was not just a matter of money, but a bigger issue of trust.
Russia’s military system is rooted in errors, many positions appear to be technical positions, and in reality a huge chain of interests is hidden.
In the past, the money used for wars and weapons went wherever it went and whoever received the dividends could not get rid of these people.
Now move so many positions, indicating that the upper level has begun to clean up internal affairs, and has also begun to be alert to the problem of accumulation of pressure in the army.
This arrangement is more like a clearing power.
Some say it is a compression of the Putin-style defense line, and some say it is a self-preservation to deal with the anxiety of external war.
Actually, both statements are true.
If the state machine wants to continue to operate, people can't continue to use logistics and armaments as cash machines.
The battlefield requires resources, but the back is more disciplined.
It can be seen that this round of actions is no longer merciful.
Some people were promoted soon after being investigated, and some people who were formerly the Defense Minister's confidence were difficult to escape punishment.
The faster it moves, the more clear the tension is.
It is not the usual adjustment of the wind, but the forced exchange of blood under high pressure.
Removing corruption is just the surface, and behind it is a bigger intention: re-controlling an out-of-control system.
In the past few years, Russia's power system has loosened a little.
The local princes are strong, and some small circles have been formed in the army.
War requires resources, projects also need resources, who can mobilize weapons, who can interfere with budgets, can exchange political status.
If this structure continues to operate for a long time, the central government will easily be overhead.
Now, Putin seems to be aware of the problem.
To clean up these people is to restore the military chain back to the core.
It can't be solved in one operation, but the first step has been taken.
These people are signs.
Frequent falls within days, high-pressure operations hide power restructuring
The recent changes have been rapid, and sometimes news of multiple investigations has been exposed in less than a week.
Almost all those taken away were heavyweights.
Among them are officials involved in major military projects, as well as key regional power figures.
The outside world is generally concerned that the positions involved are widely distributed, but they all revolve around the national defense system.
It is not coincidence.
The military industry system is the largest resource cluster in Russia at present.
It involves budgeting, procurement, transportation, maintenance, and front-line support, and every link can get oil.
In the past, the internal control of this system was loose, and people from all walks of life compromised each other.
Some people are responsible for money, some are responsible for relationships, some get approvals, and some share profits.
If there is protection at the top, they dare to move at the bottom.
Once the military expenditure is increased, there will be more opportunities, and accidents will easily occur in places that cannot be controlled.
And now Putin has taken the hand, not partially adjusting, but striking the entire chain with "threatening means."
From arsenal arrangement, to the rebuilding of border defense lines, to the upgrading of military communications networks, everywhere is moving.
Some reports point to the fact that there is less cooperation between intelligence agencies behind this round of reform.
Russia’s security department has long been pre-assembled and has key evidence of a number of corrupt networks.
Being able to move so fast this time is probably waiting for a political window.
Once the decision is made, it must be implemented quickly.
If it is delayed for a long time, it can be rebounded, and it can cause internal dissatisfaction.
In addition, the war is not over yet, and the external pressure is also great, so the top management can't tolerate problems in the rear.
In this case, he would rather kill him wrongly than let him go.
Another factor that cannot be ignored is the delicate relationship between the military.
The battlefield will last a long time, and the resources and influence of the leader will expand.
Especially at the local level, some military leaders dominate regional affairs in disguise.
Within the military, mountains were easily formed.
Once these mountains operate independently, the regulatory force of the center will decrease.
In the past, in some areas, slow military displacement and command turmoil, the fundamental problem lies in the local military and political integrity and the lack of external supervision.
The purge action is to destroy this self-contained structure.
Most of the people recently checked are key people who have long-term "operated independently" in certain war zones or specific projects.
They may not directly corrupt money, but they have a system in their hands, they can regulate resources, and they have the right to allocate.
If this kind of person is not destroyed, it will be difficult for the central government to control the situation.
This power reorganization seems to be anti-corruption, but it is actually to prevent out of control.
In order for Putin to continue to advance the war goal, the entire system must operate on a new trajectory.
The disobedient, uncoordinated and opaque links must be cleared.
Otherwise, once another "Wagner-style" accident occurs internally, the consequences will be more difficult to clean up than before.
Dark warfare emerges and multiple systems are being reshaped
As more and more senior officials are investigated, there is a visible sense of tension within the Russian system.
Not only are the persons who are investigated in the military, they are also involved in various systems such as intelligence, security, finance, construction.
This shows that the rectification action is not a single attack, but an overall "system reconstruction".
The surface is anti-corruption, and the essence is to remove the old nodes that have long held power and formed interest alliances.
Not only is the military moving, but the internal affairs system is also not idle.
Some local governments have begun to cooperate with the central investigation team to clear project funds, involving road construction, bridges, military supporting facilities, border housing and other fields.
Originally, many projects were led by the military and coordinated by local governments, but now they are supervised and examined by the central government and followed by local governments.
This kind of change looks like mechanism optimization, but it actually sends a strong signal: places are no longer trusted.
Only by removing the original power distribution method and redistributing the right to speak can the central government have a chance to stabilize the overall situation.
The factions also began to resume their positions.
The operations of intelligence systems are becoming increasingly frequent, from the deployment of cadres to the deployment of inspectors, involving almost all key military and administrative areas.
The intelligence department used to be behind, and is now pushed to the forefront.
Many officers were not taken away by military courts, but were directly controlled by people from the General Intelligence Bureau.
This means that the central government now relies more on cryptic control systems than on normal military discipline processes.
Once power does not follow the original path but relies on "secret execution", the entire system enters a state of private operation.
This causes much greater deterrence for the inner person than the trial itself.
What I am afraid of is not going to prison, but not even giving me a reason.
The longer this state lasts, the harder it is for the military to maintain unity.
Some mid-level officers began to express strong uneasiness.
Not to question orders, but to worry about who will be next.
Previously operated according to the regulations, now it may not be insured.
As long as you have dealt with a fellow in the past, even within the process, you may be involved.
This type of “cold-fire effect” is spreading.
Russia's traditional military system stresses hierarchy and loyalty, but not transparency.
When the flow of power becomes uncertain, loyalty is easily questioned, and rankings are easily bypassed.
At this time, the emergence of new factions and new resource allocation centers is a natural result.
At present, Putin has a group of “technical bureaucrats” in the military and political middle class, young, obedient, and without background.
These people are gradually being placed in key positions.
The original position was old military head, old technology, old friends.
Now it has become a new generation of “listening.”
This way of changing people is not greeting, not speaking of tradition, very fast.
The outside world can see that this is not only about rectification, but also about building a new operating framework.
The old system is supported by people, and the new system is supported by direct trust.
Both systems are colliding.
Everyone knows that the real storm has just begun.
The critical point of political power stability and strategic layout
Whether this round of rectification is stable, is not about how many people are checked, but whether it is possible to keep the pace.
Beating too hard, will counterfeit, beating too lightly, has no effect.
Putin knew this, so he acted quickly and harshly.
Use typical deterrence first, and then replace it with newcomers, leaving no room for counterattack in the middle.
However, there is also a ceiling.
If the original system is too much bleeding and the new system is not built, it is a power vacuum.
In the current state of continued war, increased sanctions and resource tensions, Russia does not allow air files to appear.
So from the pace of action, every group of people, almost simultaneously announced a new group of appointments.
Whether it is suitable or not, fill the seats first, and then talk about whether it is stable or not.
This kind of emergency filling seems to be very efficient, but in fact it has a strong emergency color.
Newly appointed people may not understand the system, but they are "clean and obedient", which is the most important indicator at this stage.
In the long run, these standards are extremely unhealthy.
A country's strategic support system cannot be maintained by loyalty, but must rely on professional judgment and execution efficiency.
Now the use of “trust priority” in order to suppress chaos, while temporarily stabilizing the situation, hides structural risks.
These new military and political cadres may be out of control in the future when they lack experience.
Especially at the top level of the military, if they have not undergone the test of the real war, the paper talk of the soldiers can have serious consequences.
This leads to another hidden worry: whether there will be a rebound within the system.
Some veterans retire not because they are convinced, but because they passively hand over power.
Whether they will continue to influence active duty personnel behind the scenes is an unpredictable variable.
Moreover, if the war goes badly in the future, who will take the blame, and will these people who have been eliminated be attacked again?
Once the chain of political struggle is opened, it is difficult to stop it.
The logic of power has become a mechanism of defense, and every round of struggle is aimed at consolidating loyalty and no longer at improving governance.
From China's standpoint, Russia's power remodeling has dual values.
On the one hand, it demonstrates that the Russian regime still has the capacity to react and make structural adjustments in times of crisis.
This is beneficial to maintaining the basic stability of Sino-Russian relations.
On the other hand, it also exposed a deep crisis of Russian confidence in the system.
As long as this trust cannot be restored, foreign policy and internal coordination will be limited.
When handling cooperation with Russia, China must see clearly the deep-seated changes in the other party's structure, and must not just look at the superficial "strongman's decrees."
A seemingly tough country, once the internal cracks expand and the external pressure comes, collapses far faster than imagined.
Whether Russia will survive this round of self-cleansing is not Putin’s own judgment, but whether this rearranged system can really survive the risks of the future.
It’s not the most dangerous time yet, but the road has turned.
Source of information:
Cleaning up 8 senior officials in one week, Putin purges again · Global Grand View · September 30, 2025
Xinhua News Agency: Putin accepted an exclusive interview with Xinhua News Agency (full text) · Xinhua News Agency · August 30, 2025