After Putin: The Kremlin’s Delicate Path to a New Leader
Russia’s aging, personalized regime has no clear successor, risking a rushed intra-elite power struggle once Putin leaves. Formal constitutional rules won’t decide the next leader; instead a small, aging ‘selectorate’ of security chiefs, parliament leaders, and Putin’s inner circle will shape the outcome. While potential contenders exist (e.g., Dyumin, Volodin, Mishustin, Kiriyenko), most top officials are in their 70s, and failing to groom a younger generation could yield instability or chaos in the transition, echoing historic succession patterns from Stalin’s era.
