In February, the Russian war of aggression against Ukraine escalated. Russian President Vladimir Putin is trying to maintain his power in Russia with the help of massive propaganda.
However, a former speechwriter for Putin now points to a survey according to which the Russian population is already preparing for a post-Putin era. This reports the German news website merkur.de with reference to newsweek. Abbas Galliyamov explains that the oldest polling institute in post-Soviet Russia asked the population what life would be like if Putin were no longer president and who could replace him. For Galliyamov, it is remarkable that these questions were asked publicly.
Among others, Mikhail Mishustin (Russia’s interim prime minister), Dmitry Medvedev (former Russian president) or Sergei Sobyanin (Moscow’s mayor) are being considered as possible successors to Putin.
Russia is scheduled to hold elections again on March 17, 2024. Constitutional amendments could, in theory, keep Vladimir Putin in power until 2036.
Image: Kremlin.ru, Владимир Путин (27-04-2023), CC BY 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons (image size modified)