A Russian expert recently stated that President Vladimir Putin (73 years old) will most likely remain in power until his death, as the chances of him being ousted from power are very slim.
According to the Daily Mail, Dr. John Kennedy, head of the Russia and Eurasia program at RAND Europe, told foreign correspondent David Averre that, despite increasing internal pressures generated by Russia’s failed invasion of Ukraine, Putin will most likely die in power.
The expert added that this could happen soon, referring to credible reports that Putin has sought alternative treatments for undisclosed health issues.
Despite Russia’s economic decline since the beginning of the invasion and the loss of nearly a million people, Kennedy considers scenarios where Putin would be forcibly removed from power to be unlikely.
He argues that the appointment of his allies in all key positions, coupled with the brutal repression of any form of opposition, ensures that the dictator will remain president until his death.
“It’s very hard to imagine him being ousted”
“Everyone depends on Putin”, Kennedy told the Daily Mail’s Future Headlines series.
“He promotes his friends. All the people around Putin are former colleagues. He has completely concentrated power around him, and this has intensified after the large-scale invasion of Ukraine.”
“After the death of Alexei Navalny, we did not see the emergence of large-scale popular movements against him, neither at the party level nor at the regional level. It’s very hard to imagine him being ousted, unless circumstances change.”
“The most plausible scenario is for Putin to die in power, given that he has built a system based on total loyalty. Then there would be a period of rapid reshuffling – the cadre would have to regroup and negotiate power,” he explained.
However, Kennedy does not rule out the possibility of Putin being assassinated, but not by the ruling elite in Moscow, but by regional factions that have borne the brunt of the war in Ukraine.
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