According to the Main Intelligence Directorate of the Ministry of Defense, the Kremlin is already looking for a replacement for Vladimir Putin. Many people in Russia have opinions that the dictator should be removed from power.

Timur Olevsky, a Russian opposition journalist for The Insider, told Channel 24 about this. According to him, there are certain problems in the search for Putin's successor.

In particular, it is very difficult to imagine what the mechanism for changing the head of Russia will be.

“The fact is that for close people from his entourage, Putin is a guarantee of their existence,” Olevsky said.

Therefore, in place of the dictator, it is necessary to find a consensus figure who will not only guarantee the status quo for the Russian elites, but will also “look like a tsar.”

The new tsar must be introduced to the Russians

According to the journalist, in order for a new king to appear, you need to have time to introduce him to society.

Time for this interim period is getting shorter. If we imagine that Putin will not be there tomorrow, and, for example, any person should be put in his place, he should be introduced to the Russians,” Olevsky noted.

According to him, this is exactly what happened to Putin himself at one time. When Boris Yeltsin resigned in 1999, Putin, as head of government, was appointed acting president.

“The current head of the Kremlin had several months during which houses were blown up, the Second Chechen War continued. Putin was taken around the country and represented Russia so that the Russians would fall in love with him,” the journalist said.

After this “representation” at the end of March 2000, Putin became president, winning the election.

Stream by Irina Uzlova and Timur Olevsky: watch the full video

Difficulties in finding Putin's successor

Now, according to Olevsky, there will be no such transitional period.

The pressure is very big. There are many people who want to take theirs right now. This drives everyone into a stalemate,” the journalist said.

He added that it is difficult to imagine that now Putin will be replaced, for example, by opposition leader Alexei Navalny. However, according to Olevsky, it is Navalny who is an obvious figure for those who want to replace Putin. After all, the oppositionist, at least, openly declared his intentions to take the post of head of state.

In Russia, they want to change Putin: the main thing

• After Xi Jinping's arrival in Russia, there was a lot of talk about replacing Vladimir Putin. According to NSDC Secretary Alexei Danilov, China is choosing a new candidate, and there are two options.
• We are talking about the son of Nikolai Patrushev – Dmitry, who is now the Russian Minister of Agriculture, and Mikhail Mishustin.
• According to Alexei Danilov, Xi Jinping paid attention to the candidacy of Mikhail Mishustin, who is now head of the Russian government. Mishustin's personal invitation to China testifies to this.