05/11/2026
When Kremlin dictator Vladimir Putin dies, Russia will likely enter a temporary “period of instability” while rivals share power. External intervention could quickly restart the Russian Federation and “reestablish it as a normal state.”
This opinion was expressed in an interview with OBOZ.UA by Russian oppositionist Olga Kurnosova. She disagreed with the assumption that Putin’s death could be the beginning of even greater chaos and shifts for the worse.
The activist explained that in the current economic situation, any forces that come to power after Putin “will simply be forced, even if they don’t want to, to negotiate with the West about lifting sanctions,” and, accordingly, the country’s foreign policy will change. Presumably, this will also include ending the war against Ukraine.
“After almost any dictatorship, a thaw comes. The same thing will happen in Russia,” the oppositionist is convinced.
“Another question is that, of course, a fairly serious struggle for power could unfold, and this could be associated with a period of relative instability. Relatively speaking, something like what happened after Stalin’s death. Yes, many thought that Beria would come to power, who would also take steps to soften the dictatorship and transition to a more reasonable government. However, Beria, as we remember, was destroyed by his own people. Therefore, this kind of struggle will, of course, be waged,” she added.
Kurnosova noted that letting the situation take its course is not the most appropriate option.
“But there are several better scenarios than just Putin’s death and a random struggle for power in Russia, the victory of one or another group. You are now talking about what will happen if there is no external intervention. But if there is external intervention, if the transit is built with the participation of Western politicians, some part of the Russian opposition, then such a triple structure could restart Russia quite quickly and reestablish it as a normal state,” the activist explained.
She added that this is “the most positive opportunity to change the situation.” If everything is left as it is, it is unlikely that the Kremlin will be led by someone worse than Putin.
“But there may be a period of instability. And Russia still has nuclear weapons, and some groups may gain access to them. Therefore, I would like the period of instability to be minimal,” Kurnosova concluded.
As OBOZ.UA wrote:
– Earlier, Newsweek noted that the sudden death of dictator Vladimir Putin may not bring stability, but rather cause chaos and a struggle for power within the country. Experts suggested that since the current Russian political system is too dependent on one person, his disappearance would create serious risks.
– Former SBU official Ivan Stupak said that the security system around the Russian leader is built in such a way that maximum protection is provided in closed spaces. Only well-known and proven individuals are there for many years, but even there, armed security guards are on duty.
A best-case scenario is the total collapse of the mafia state and the breaking away of all its unlawfully held territories, and to prevent their (still functional) nukes from falling into the wrong hands, an intervention force must be sent by the Free World.
I know, this is wishful thinking. Not the potential breakup of the terrorist state, but the intervention part by the West. We do not have the right leadership in place to make this happen.
Beria was a closet liberal. That’s why he was done away with.
There are none like that in the putler murder gang. They are all nazis.
It’s not much good simply expecting putler to die; the cokksukka could cling on for another decade.
Democratic figures in exile, such as Kasparov, Khodorkovsky, Kara-Murza etc are all full of ideas about a peaceful transition to democracy, but they don’t (at least publicly) outline how that might be achieved.