Sounds like “Russian disinformation”, to use a now trite phrase. But if he runs I don’t think there is a safe place for him to hide.
“But if he runs I don’t think there is a safe place for him to hide.”
True.
But, consider why Putin would run:
1- “The defense ministry has published telephone numbers and an email address to provide information about captured Russians, and mothers will be invited to Kyiv to collect their missing sons.
“You will be received and taken to Kyiv where your son will be returned to you,” the ministry statement said.
https://www.timesofisrael.com/ukraine-invites-russian-mothers-to-collect-their-sons-captured-on-the-battlefield/
2- “Unnamed father told the outlet, “They no longer want to be up to their ears in the blood of their friends and comrades.”
“We need to get the children out of there and stop the lawlessness,” one mother
Maria told The Insider, “If we are the first, then others will follow. I don’t know exactly how many of us there are, but I know there are many.”
The Nestka publication reported last week a center in the Luhansk region was where hundreds of servicemen who refused to fight are taken, with many being held in basements and garages.
A growing number of Russian families are demanding answers from the Kremlin about missing soldiers. A woman son killed in Ukraine told the BBC earlier this month MANY MOTHERS blame the Kremlin for their deaths and would RISE UP against President Vladimir Putin.
https://www.msn.com/en-us/news/world/russian-soldiers-parents-head-to-ukraine-to-rescue-sons/ar-AAZZck8?fbclid=IwAR2wPkExPvfRAeBiIffnfkVVBFTy96WA9KSYuZEDR7-sCFoyQGgt1L9xf8o
3. Some wounded Russian soldiers find compensation elusive, despite Putin’s pledge
https://www.reuters.com/world/europe/some-wounded-russian-soldiers-find-compensation-elusive-despite-putins-pledge-2022-07-29/?rpc=401&
4. Russian Casualties in Ukraine Surpass 75,000: U.S. Intelligence
https://www.rferl.org/a/ukraine-pushes-attack-south-russia-troop-shortage-east/31963314.html
5. Ukraine is asking Russian mothers to come pick up their sons captured in Putin’s invasion
https://www.timesofisrael.com/ukraine-invites-russian-mothers-to-collect-their-sons-captured-on-the-battlefield/
5. Russian Troops Deserting Posts As Kyiv Makes Use of U.S. Weapons: Pentagon
https://www.msn.com/en-us/news/world/russian-troops-deserting-posts-as-kyiv-makes-use-of-us-weapons-pentagon/ar-AAZZifx