Europe | Life after Vladimir

Russia’s elite begins to ponder a Putinless future

Once unthinkable, the president’s removal can at least be contemplated

TOPSHOT - Russian President Vladimir Putin speaks on the phone in his office in Saint Petersburg on December 15, 2018 with Artyom Palyanov -- a boy with brittle bone disease who wished to see a bird's eye view of the city. - Earlier the President promised to make his dream come true by sending him on a helicopter tour of the city. (Photo by Alexey NIKOLSKY / Sputnik / AFP) (Photo credit should read ALEXEY NIKOLSKY/AFP via Getty Images)

Oct 26th 2022

“WHAT IS NEXT? Is there life after Putin? How does he go and who replaces him?” Such are the questions that weigh heavily these days on the minds of the Russian elite, its bureaucrats and businessmen, as they observe the Ukrainian army advancing, talented people fleeing Russia and the West refusing to back down in the face of Vladimir Putin’s energy and nuclear blackmail. “There is a lot of swearing and angry talk in Moscow restaurants and kitchens,” one member of the elite says. “Everyone has realised that Putin has blundered and is losing.”

This article appeared in the Europe section of the print edition under the headline “Life after Putin”