Putin Grooms Family and Youth to Cement Power Amid Kremlin Instability

As the walls of the Kremlin begin to crack under the weight of war, sanctions, and paranoia, Vladimir Putin is doing what most aging autocrats do tightening his grip on power by surrounding himself with loyalists, family members, and a handpicked younger generation.

At 73 years old, and with more than two decades of rule under his belt, Putin is no longer the cold-eyed KGB operative who took the world by surprise. Instead, he's a deeply entrenched dictator running out of options. Recent reports confirm that the Russian president is elevating younger insiders not because of merit, but because they’re loyal, connected by blood, or too inexperienced to pose a threat.

The signs of decay inside the Kremlin are piling up:

• The Federal Security Service (FSB) has launched a criminal case against exiled businessman Mikhail Khodorkovsky and 22 members of the Anti-War Committee of Russia, accusing them of plotting to overthrow the regime.

• Putin's cousin, Anna Evgenievna Tsivilyova, has been given control of state-run programs supporting soldiers and veterans, while also maintaining ties to Russia’s powerful energy sector through her leadership of Kolmar Group.

• The Kremlin is still reeling from Yevgeny Prigozhin’s 2023 mutiny, which saw Wagner mercenaries marching toward Moscow before Prigozhin mysteriously died in a plane crash just weeks later.

Former U.S. Ambassador to Ukraine John Herbst described the Kremlin’s mood as “falling into paranoia,” while George Washington University professor Henry Hale noted that Putin is now managing his elite like a fragile chessboard, ensuring there are “no clear seams along which it would rip apart.”

The overarching theme? Putin is preparing for a future beyond his control a world where the system he built could collapse without him. By inserting family members and loyal youth into strategic positions, he’s trying to preserve his legacy and secure posthumous control.

But it’s not just internal threats he’s facing.

The Russian economy is bleeding. With war costs soaring, oil revenues shrinking, and western sanctions biting hard, there are warnings that Russia could soon face a recession. The government is reportedly preparing to raise taxes and increase domestic borrowing to stay afloat. According to a World Bank estimate, Russia's economy shrank by over 2.1% in 2022 and is only recovering unevenly.

Under President Trump, the U.S. sanctioned Russia’s two largest oil producers, Rosneft and Lukoil measures that remain a thorn in the Kremlin’s side as the Ukraine war grinds on without resolution.

While Putin may appear to have weathered the initial blow of failing to capture Ukraine in 2022, long-term consequences are creeping in. Military setbacks, economic strain, and discontent among Russia’s elite signal a regime propped up more by fear than by strength.

The Russian people may not be revolting just yet, but the writing is on the wall: even tyrants must face the ticking clock.

For now, Putin remains in control but it’s clear he’s preparing for the day he’s not. That’s not a sign of strength. It’s a warning.

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