(NewsNation) — As Russia continues its assault on Ukraine, some are wondering if potential frustration within the Kremlin could lead to a coup and President Vladimir Putin’s ouster.

Dr. Leon Aron, a senior fellow at the American Enterprise Institute, said if something along those lines were to happen, he would see it more as a “regime change.”

“Whether it’s a coup, or whether it’s some other way of deposing Putin, we don’t know. I also think that it will take time,” he said. “The polls show the diminution of the support — despite all the propaganda. But generally, the Russians tend to rally around the flag.”

Nearly two weeks into the invasion, Russian troops have advanced deep along Ukraine’s coastline. The city of Mariupol, which sits on the Azov Sea, has been surrounded by Russian soldiers for days, and a humanitarian crisis is unfolding in the encircled city of 430,000.

Aron, however, said he believes there is action Putin could take that could make his deposition more likely.

“If Putin decides to take Kyiv in an absolutely horrific, bloody house-to-house apartment-to-apartment fight … I think all of that could become a catalyst and bring about first grief, then anger, then rage in people. I think, until then, neither the military nor the oligarchs would make that move,” Aron said.

Western countries are still attempting to intervene indirectly and avoid anything that could be seen as an act of war. Those efforts were complicated by a Polish plan to give Ukraine MiG-29 fighter jets by giving them to the U.S. first.

It’s an idea the Pentagon termed as not “a tenable one” over concerns it could be construed as direct involvement in the war. Another idea being considered is the jets being flown to a neutral country, where Ukrainian pilots could pick them up.