Russia has a “collective Putin”: why the death of the head of the Kremlin may not change anything

The Kremlin is not against rumors about “Putin’s death” / Getty Images

The author of the fake news about the death of Vladimir Putin continues to insist on the authenticity of his information, despite the fact that few people believe in it. This may be evidence of a struggle among Russian elites.

Candidate of Political Sciences Ivan Preobrazhensky shared this idea with Channel 24 . He suggests that manipulation of Putin's death is working in the Kremlin's interests.

Why “Putin's death” is fake

The crux of the matter with the “death of Putin” is that in reality Russia is, in one way or another, led by “collective Putin.” After all, the main function of a Russian dictator in the system of Russian power is to influence civil strife in the country thanks to the consensus of his rule.

“It doesn’t matter whether Putin died or not. What’s important is that the Russian elites are unlikely to be able to hide it, because then they will immediately begin an open struggle for power. This would be an obvious consequence of his death,” Preobrazhensky noted.

However, nothing like this is happening in Russia now. Accordingly, the rumors about “Putin’s death” are most likely targeted special operations.

Why are these rumors being promoted in Russia?

It is interesting that the author of the fake news about Putin’s death is, at first glance, a “respected” person in Russian circles. Valery Solovey is a well-known PR specialist who taught at Moscow State University and wrote a famous textbook on media manipulation. He also supported the occupation of the Crimean Peninsula.

There is an assumption that he may be connected with Russian foreign intelligence (SVR). But it cannot be ruled out that the dissolution of these rumors is, first of all, work for one’s recognition.

Ivan Preobrazhensky on how the Kremlin is using rumors about Putin’s death: watch the video

“It is unlikely that this person works directly for Putin. At the same time, reports of Putin’s death probably still play into the hands of the Kremlin. It is significant that Dmitry Peskov has already denied these rumors several times, as if making it clear that in the Kremlin I’m not averse to working with this topic,” the political scientist noted.

Maybe in this way Putin is trying to show that without him Russia will only get worse. There is a saying in Russia : “Putin is old, but alive, and will outlive you.” And every time after rumors about his health problems, her message is updated by the Kremlin.

Usually, after the launch of such IPSO, Putin at some point makes a solemn appearance in public. And even if he looks weak or strange, he reminds his opponents that he still holds power.

Russia is shaky, but circumstances are in its favor

• The situation inside Russia can hardly be called stable: both the Prigozhin rebellion and the pogrom in Makhachkala indicate that a single spark can ignite a flame in any corner of the country.
• At the same time, in military terms, the Kremlin has so far managed to recruit enough “volunteers” for service and reactivate the remains of old Soviet equipment. That is why the war turned into a positional struggle.
• But international politics has become the most favorable for Putin this fall. The war between Israel and Hamas, the crisis in the United States House of Representatives and the relative understanding with the countries of the East supporting Russia in waging the war allows the Kremlin dictator to hope that his regime has the necessary “margin of safety” to continue waging a war of conquest