Putin is flexing his power with the deaths of his opponents — but he may also be highlighting the weakness of his regime

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• pilot who defected to Ukraine with a Mi-8 helicopter last year was found shot to death in Spain, according to reports citing Ukraine's military intelligence.
• The apparent crackdown on Putin's opponents, though par for the course for the president's brutal regime, comes as Russia racks up a string of military wins, including 
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• Vladimir Putin is racking up a string of strongman wins, including the death of opposition leader Alexey Navalny.
• But Putin's brazen displays of power highlight the weakness of his regime, experts said.
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• atOptions = { 'key' : 'e179a841ea6e8b1df7a7182839f4036e', 'format' : 'iframe', 'height' : 90, 'width' : 728, 'params' : {} }; document.write(''); style="font-size: 18px;">
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• Going after his opponents is par for the course for Putin.
• Ahead of the two-year anniversary of Russia's invasion of Ukraine, Vladimir Putin is likely behind a series of exorbitant displays of his authoritarian power.
• Alexey Navalny, Putin's longtime political nemesis, died suddenly in a Russian prison earlier this month at the age of 47. Around the same time, a Russian pilot who defected to Ukraine with a Mi-8 helicopter last year was found shot to death in Spain, according to reports citing Ukraine's military intelligence.
• from the embattled eastern town of Avdiivka.
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• It would certainly seem that Putin is relishing in flexing his unrivaled power. But Russia experts say the president's brazen saber-rattling is actually indicative of the headphone
• Vladimir Putin is racking up a string of strongman wins, including the death of opposition leader Alexey Navalny.
• But Putin's brazen displays of power highlight the weakness of his regime, experts said.style="font-size: 18px;">Going after his opponents is par for the course for Putin.
• Ahead of the two-year anniversary of Russia's invasion of Ukraine, Vladimir Putin is likely behind a series of exorbitant displays of his authoritarian power.
• Alexey Navalny, Putin's longtime political nemesis, died suddenly in a Russian prison earlier this month at the age of 47. Around the same time, a Russian pilot who defected to Ukraine with a Mi-8 helicopter last year was found shot to death in Spain, according to reports citing Ukraine's military intelligence.
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• The apparent crackdown on Putin's opponents, though par for the course for the president's brutal regime, comes as Russia racks up a string of military wins, including Ukraine's recent withdrawal from the embattled eastern town of Avdiivka.
• It would certainly seem that Putin is relishing in flexing his unrivaled power. But Russia experts say the president's brazen saber-rattling is actually indicative of the inherent 
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• weakness baked into his personalistic regime —a de facto dictatorship in which all the power rests in Putin's hands.
• "To maintain a cult of personality, you have to use a lot of force," said Matthew Schmidt, an assistant professor of national security and political science at The University of New Haven who previously taught planning at the US Army's School of Advanced Military Studies.