The Russian leadership is likely preparing a replacement for President Vladimir Putin.
After the start of the war in Ukraine, Secretary of the Security Council of the Russian Federation Nikolai Patrushev became the “driving force” in the Kremlin, and his public speeches may indicate a desire to take the place of Putin in the future.
The Washington Post writes about Nikolai Patrushev, “the man with access to Putin's ear”, who seeks to take his place.
Patrushev is one of the Russian president's closest advisers and holds the position of Security Council secretary, the equivalent of an adviser for Homeland Security in the United States.
Although Patrushev has been behind the scenes as a “power broker” for more than two decades, he has become much more visible since the beginning of Russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine.
So far, rumors of Putin's health problems go, and he avoids travel and public speaking, Patrushev “driving around the former Soviet Union” and gaining more and more influence. His lengthy interviews and frequent trips show that it is he who has the right to interpret and explain Putin's opinions, unlike, say, Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov.
According to an anonymous source close to both Putin and Patrushev, the latter is “a security official who drinks and understands the world as if the Soviet Union still exists.” According to the source, it is even possible that Patrushev seeks not only to ensure Putin's power, but also to control him.
After the start of the pandemic, according to sources, Patrushev remained one of the few people who could regularly communicate personally with Putin and strengthened his influence over him during this time.
Russian political scientist Tatyana Stanovaya says that Patrushev's behavior underlines the influence of former KGB officers on Putin, and notes that with the outbreak of war, the time of the head of the Russian Security Council came.
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“His ideas underlie the decisions made by Putin. He is one of the few figures that Putin listens to,” the expert claims.
It was previously reported that Russian President Vladimir Putin is discussing his departure from power, but he does it personally, and does not convene meetings. He has a confidant, confidant Kovalchuk, with whom he can discuss this.
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