A young Kremlin hardliner believed to share warmonger Vladimir Putin’s love of ice hockey is being singled out as the tyrant’s successor amid constant rumors of the Russian president’s ailing health.
Kremlin experts have identified 36-year-old Dmitry Kovalev as one of Putin’s preferred successors.
Kovalev works in the presidential administration and was seen having a close and intimate conversation with the autocrat at the May 9 Victory Day Parade.
Telegram channel Baza reported that Putin met Kovalev, son of Russian gas tycoon Vitaly Kovalev, at an ice hockey game.
However, any Western hopes that a new Russian ruler could lead to a thaw in relations may be misplaced.
Vladimir Putin talks closely to Dmitry Kovalev, 36, rumored to be a potential successor, at the military parade marking the 77th anniversary of the Victory Day in Red Square in Moscow, Russia, May 09, 2022
Rumors of the Russian dictator’s health are swirling, with Putin limping off his presidential plane during the welcoming ceremony in Tehran earlier this week
Keir Giles, author of Moscow Rules: What Drives Russia to Confront the West, said there was “no reason” to suppose that a successor to Putin would be less “hardline”.
Mr Giles told The Express: “There are many candidates for Putin’s successor who would make Russia’s relationship with the West and with its own people even worse than Putin has done in the last few years of his reign.”
He added that any successor with the same background as Putin is likely to “continue to bring Russia back to the normal default state of its opposition to the West.”
In recent months, Putin has been seen shaking uncontrollably, clutching tables and chairs, and appearing bloated and unwell.
Most recently, the 69-year-old limped off his plane and down the red carpet, his right hand unnaturally taped to his right leg, after landing in Iran for a summit on Tuesday.
This has led to rumors that the strongman is suffering from a form of cancer and Parkinson’s disease, as well as repeated surgeries to cope.
These rumors have caused the gossip about a possible successor to become louder and louder in recent months.
The problem is particularly acute given that Putin has very successfully cleared the field of all potential challengers and created what is likely to be a dangerous power vacuum should he die without an heir.
The constitutional amendments facilitated by the State Duma for Putin in 2020 mean he can stand for re-election in 2024 – if he decides the result in advance – and rule for another 12 years.
But it’s also possible that he will forgo re-election and nominate a hand-picked successor to run — and likely win.
Hence the urgency of finding a suitable candidate who will carry on Putin’s legacy and remain loyal to him while he holds power in the Kremlin – all before 2024.
William Burns told the Aspen Security Forum in Colorado that he feared Putin was “completely too sane.”
The idea of reversing the direction Russia is taking and bringing it back to the liberal and democratic values it flirted with after the fall of the Soviet Union was imaginative, Mr Giles thought.
Other candidates to replace Putin have been circulated
But the topic could remain academic for a while longer, as William Burns, the director of the CIA, said Vladimir Putin was “totally sane”.
Mr Burns, speaking at the Aspen Security Forum in Colorado, said his comments were “not a formal Intelligence verdict” but a personal opinion.
Rumors of Putin’s health have been floating around for years, dating back at least to 2014.
The spy chief, the last US official to meet with Putin before ordering his troops to slaughter Ukrainians, said the leader is “a big believer in control and intimidation and revenge” and that his “risk appetite has grown.”
He added: “He’s stewing on a very combustible combination of grievance, ambition and insecurity.”