Putin’s Reorganization of the Cabinet Encourages Possible Successors

Putin was inaugurated for a fifth term on May 7.
The president will be able to serve one more term, which will end in 2036.

At 71 years old, Putin will be about 83 at that point.

One man has stood out among his allies as a possible successor.

(NewsReady.com) – Russian President Vladimir Putin has been the leader of the country for most of the last 25 years. Even when he wasn’t serving as president, he was reportedly behind the scenes, running the country. As he ages, there are questions about who will eventually succeed him. A recent shake-up of his presidential cabinet has put that question front and center again.

Government Shakeup

On May 7, Putin was inaugurated for his fifth term, which ends in 2030. After he invaded Ukraine, changes were made to the Russian Constitution that will allow him to run for a sixth term in office. If he decides to leave the Constitution alone, that means he will likely retire in 2036 if he wins a sixth term.

After his fifth inauguration, Putin shuffled the government around. He appointed 51-year-old Aleksey Dyumin, a former agent of the Federal Guard Service (FSO) and governor of the Tula region, and 72-year-old Nikolai Patrushev, the firmer director of the Federal Security Service (FSB), to serve as presidential aides.

The appointments are seen as promotions, even though they are technically demotions. Patrushev served as the Russian Security Council Secretary for 16 years. He’s no longer in that position, but Putin promoted his 46-year-old son, Dmitry, to serve as the deputy prime minister of agriculture.

Who Is Aleksey Dyumin?

According to reports, Dyumin is seen as one of the people who could take over for the 71-year-old president when he finally leaves office. The former governor of Tula was born in Kursk, Russia. He was a star athlete when he was younger, but he followed in his dad’s footsteps and joined the military. From there, he moved up quickly. From 2000 to 2008, during Putin’s first stint as president, he served as the leader’s guard. He continued in that role from 2008 to 2012.

Julian Waller, a research analyst, commented on the promotion on X, formerly Twitter. He said Dyumin’s “military-industrial complex oversight portfolio is all the signal” anyone needs to determine that he’s “in favor.” He went on to say the former governor has been the “talk of the town all year” and the move to presidential aide is “good positioning for the future.”

Dyumin is easy. The Governor of Tula moving to the Kremlin w/ a military-industrial complex oversight portfolio is all the signal you need that he is 'in favor.' Dyumin has been the talk of the town all year, so this tracks well. Good positioning for the future.

— Julian Waller 📖 (@JulianWaller) May 14, 2024

Earlier this year, Harvard University’s Davis Center for Russian and Eurasian Studies published an article about the future of the presidency and agreed that Dyumin will likely be named the successor if Putin decides to choose one.