The constitutional changes Vladimir Putin announced earlier this month suggest he will have to choose someone to replace him when his term in the presidency ends in 2024
Privately, the Russian leader has almost certainly narrowed down his choices, said Olga Kryshtanovskaya, a sociologist who has been studying the Russian elite for decades. “The selection of people is already defined ... These people are now in key positions.
The former governor of the Tyumen province has long been viewed as one of the most influential men in the country. Though technically only a mayor, he is considered a politician of national standing and was head of Putin's administration from 2005 to 2008, after which he followed his patron into the government, becoming a deputy prime minister.
As the “first Putin technocrat” and a longtime loyalist, Sobyanin will likely be high on Putin's list. His ascension would however leave the Russian leader with the problem of installing a new pro-Kremlin mayor in the increasingly restive capital, where the barring of opposition candidates from city council sparked massive protests this summer.
Shoigu is close to Putin and regularly spends summer vacations with the president in Tuva, where the two men have been seen fishing and boating with their shirts off. The son of an eminent Soviet economist, Belousov was appointed as Putin's economic aide in 2013 and became chairman of the board of state oil champion Rosneft. He shares Putin's KGB-esque worldview, believing Russia is surrounded by a"ring of enemies," according to reports.
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