Jens Asbjørn Bøgen
Do you think he’s right?
26 years.
Vladimir Putin has been in control of Russia since the year 2000, meaning he has been in power for more than a quarter of a century.
But time catches up with us all, and at 73 years of age, Putin is getting up there.
Add to that the fact that Russia is facing serious economic trouble, is struggling in Ukraine, has become an international pariah in most of the world, and that rumors of a possible mutiny within the Russian forces are once again starting to surface.
Yes, the Russian leader is under pressure on several fronts, with some even speculating that the most powerful members of the Russian elite’s inner circle might want to get rid of him to protect themselves and their future.
That begs the question: What will a Russia after Putin look like?
Unfortunately, we should not hope for much to change, according to Sweden’s intelligence chief.
No turning back
The current standoff with Russia will not simply vanish if a new president takes over in Moscow.
That is the stark warning from Sweden’s military intelligence chief, Thomas Nilsson, who spoke about the long-term outlook in an interview with Bloomberg.
Nilsson explained that the underlying friction runs much deeper than just one man in the Kremlin. “Russia has chosen its path, and there is no way back. We are in a strategic confrontation that is deep, structural, and enduring. We can’t wish that away,” he said.
Even though the Russian economy faces massive hurdles because of the war in Ukraine, local citizens remain largely in the dark. Bloomberg reported that Vladimir Putin’s closest allies hide the truth. Because of this cover-up, regular people simply do not see the full scale of the crisis.
No political alternative
Despite these worsening economic conditions, there are no signs that the regime is about to collapse. The Kremlin successfully crushed all meaningful political opposition years ago. That has left a massive vacuum.
“There is no one capable of channeling public dissatisfaction into a political alternative,” Nilsson told Bloomberg. Without a clear leader to unite behind, public frustration has nowhere to go.
But the issue goes far beyond elite politics in the Kremlin. Many ordinary citizens actually share the country’s imperial goals, meaning those aggressive attitudes will likely outlast the current leadership entirely.
Deadlines and tension
Meanwhile, the conflict shows no signs of slowing down. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy recently noted that Putin had set yet another deadline to capture the Donbas region, though he warned this would not be the final demand.
Moscow also keeps warning its citizens about looming NATO attacks. Anxiety is spreading quickly. Nearby Lithuania even had to step in recently to address nervous rumors of an imminent invasion.
