Seems a guy who in common sense bases his opinions was invited to speak openly and with a bit of care to russian TV... What a momment to realize war is not going as intended... when you already lost your momentum and ukranians are starting to do small counterattacks over your special operation. One of the main weakenesses of this entity, which war and the exposing of a mayor power starts to bring down some well fixed ideas for long time.
Even when you are not a democracy you allow this kind of things, because you need your people to provide you with the needed tools, their lives. Something you needed a month ago but you can't risk break the entinty as politics and integration couldn't cope with it.
IMHO you need money, allies and a very good reason. We are whitnessing how a bad reason is speaking freely at the battlefront right now.
Things in Russia seems to reach media after some weeks, hopefully a mayor defeat will be broadcasted from international media and the domino pieces get that momentum they lack today.