Throughout 2020, one of Russian President Vladimir Putin’s chief priorities has been securing his continued rule in Russia. Now with the completion of a largely pre-ordained constitutional referendum—one in which the amended Russian constitution was already printed en masse weeks in advance of the vote—Putin seems to close to achieving his goal, guaranteeing his chance to remain president until 2036. Or is he? Russia was hard-hit by COVID-19, and Putin’s lackluster response has contributed to his declining poll numbers. The first two decades of Putin’s rule have brought dramatic and historic changes to Russia, Eurasia, and global politics as a whole. Now looking forward, what does the future hold in store for Putin and Russia?
Vladimir Kara-Murza, chairman of the Boris Nemtsov Foundation for Freedom; Ambassador Michael McFaul, director of the Freeman Spogli Institute for International Studies at Stanford University; and Lilia Shevtsova, Liberal Mission Foundation, Moscow, discuss what’s in store for Russia’s future under the coming decades of Putin’s rule. Ambassador John Herbst, director of the Atlantic Council’s Eurasia Center, moderates.
spotlight
The Kremlin and coronavirus
Despite recording some of the first cases outside of China in early 2020, Russia reported unusually low incidents of coronavirus while those in other regions climbed rapidly. However, in recent days the number of cases in the country has grown rapidly, leading to questions of honesty about initial government reports as well as how equipped Russia’s government and health systems are prepared to deal with a major outbreak. This is in addition to the Kremlin’s exploitation of the virus to spread disinformation, burnish its image abroad, and enlarge political control at home.
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The Eurasia Center’s mission is to promote policies that strengthen stability, democratic values, and prosperity in Eurasia, from Eastern Europe in the West to the Caucasus, Russia, and Central Asia in the East.