Who Will Replace Vladimir Putin? Russian Dictator's Closest Allies Mull Regime Change: Reports

As the Russian war on Ukraine continues to drag on, allies of Russian President Vladimir Putin on Tuesday are reported to be thinking about his potential successor or replacement as leader of the country, even as they continue to support Putin’s efforts to invade Ukraine.

The report states that many of Putin’s allies, personally frustrated at Putin’s actions and its consequences on a global scale, have floated ideas of potential successors for the Russian dictator once he is reportedly too sick to lead the country, according to the Daily Beast.

“It’s not about them wanting to prepare a plot and overthrow Putin right now. But there is an understanding, or a desire, that in the fairly foreseeable future he will not run the country,” a source from the government said.

Many government officials and businessmen in Russia have expressed dissatisfaction with Putin’s current leadership. Among the names floated to replace Putin are former President Dmitry Medvedev, Moscow Mayor Sergei Sobyanin, and former deputy chief of staff Sergei Kirienko.

“There are probably almost no [members of the elite] who are satisfied with Putin. [The business community] and many members of the government are unhappy that the president started the war without thinking about the scale of sanctions—it’s impossible to live with such sanctions,” an insider source said.

In spite of that train of thought, the source believes that the Russian government is fully committed to seeing the invasion of Ukraine through, with or without Putin, with Russia’s Security Council Secretary Nikolai Patrushev indicating that the country will not yield any time in the future.

“We are not chasing deadlines,” he said. “All the goals set by the president of Russia will be fulfilled. There is no other way, since the truth, including historical truth, is on our side.”

Meanwhile, Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte, who is a staunch ally of Putin during his term as President, has expressed disapproval of Russia’s war against Ukraine, although he stopped short of condemning the war itself, al-Jazeera reported.

He commented on the situation due to the escalating world oil crisis and the potential food supply crisis that the conflict has pushed forward, as well as the reported deaths of civilians in the conflict.

“Many say that Putin and I are both killers. I’ve long told you Filipinos that I really kill. But I kill criminals, I don’t kill children and the elderly,” Duterte said. “We’re in two different worlds.”