, Columnist
What Comes After Putin Could Be Trouble
The transfer of power will be perilous, says a prominent Russian sociologist.
That didn’t end well.
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In Russia, long reigns have been known to end badly. After the 50-year rule of Ivan the Terrible, for example, the nation descended into a period of political infighting, social upheaval and economic strife known as the “Time of Troubles.”
Can Vladimir Putin, who will have ruled 24 years when his last constitutional term ends in 2024, avoid a similar fate?