His opponents meet grisly ends, he sends dissidentsPeople who publicly disagree with or criticise an authority or government, especially an oppressive one. to SiberiaA northern region of Russia, known for its harsh winters. It has a long history as a place of exile for criminals and political prisoners. and he has aggressively occupied territories in three countries.

It is just a day in the life of a 21st Century despotA medieval word for a ruler who exercises absolute power, by implication for the worse.. And he is in good company: Russia has strong ties to other dictatorsRulers with total power over a country. like Kim Jong-unThe leader of North Korea since 2011. , Xi JinpingThe president of China, who has concentrated power and removed term limits allowing him to serve for life. and Bashar al-AssadThe president of Syria since 2000. He fled to Russia with his family in 2024. .

But Putin's plans surpass even those of his peers. His ambitions do not end with Ukraine.

Could his rule be cut short? Until now, it has seemed a distant idea. But some say it could be a real possibility.

Smutniy PutinVladimir Putin - Russia's ruler since 2000. He is a strong opponent of the West.

Amid a recent coup led by his former allyA country that has agreed to support another one. Yevgeny PrigozhinA Russian oligarch and leader of the Wagner Group, a group of mercenary soldiers. He launched a failed coup against Russian president Vladimir Putin in June 2023. , Putin did not hesitate to draw parallels to Russia's Smutnoye vremya, known in English as "The Time of Troubles".

The Time of Troubles was a period of anarchy in the Tsardom of Russia that followed the death of Feodor I, who died without leaving an heir.

In 1604, a pretenderSomebody who pretends to be something they are not. A pretender to the throne claims to be the rightful ruler of a nation. to the throne, called The False Dmitry, marched to Moscow with an army and seized the throne.

But False Dmitry's victory was short-lived. He was murdered in 1606, leading to invasion by Poland. What followed was a miserable era of death and destruction which killed up to 1.2 million people.

For Russians, smuta represents an age-old superstition: that failed insurrections are a warning sign that something very bad is about to happen. By evoking the period, Putin may even be predicting his own death - and Russia's descent into total anarchyA situation in which there are no rulers. The term can be used to describe complete political chaos or mob rule, but those who call themselves anarchists generally believe in mutual aid and cooperation, not a war of all-against-all..

Soviet Successor

Vladimir Lenin died of a stroke. Joseph Stalin died of a haemorrhage. Leonid Brezhnev died of a heart attack. Yuri Andropov died of kidney failure. Konstantin Chernenko died of emphysemaA lung condition that makes it difficult to breathe. .

All of the above were one-time leaders of the Soviet UnionOfficially the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics (USSR). A powerful group of communist republics, the biggest being Russia, that existed from 1922 to 1991. . And you may notice a pattern. The majority of Soviet rulers only lost power when they died - even Stalin, one of history's most bloodthirsty dictators. Some experts think that Putin's death is the only thing that will end his reign.

Ruble Revolution

The former oligarch Mikhail Khodorkovsky once asserted that the man with the rifle, a figure that had long symbolised the Bolshevik Revolution and the ability of ordinary people to revolt, had been replaced by the man with the rubleThe Russian currency. It was the first currency in Europe to be decimalised, in 1704..

He meant that power in Russia was in the hands of its corrupt oligarchsAfter the collapse of the Soviet Union, most of the country's economy fell into the hands of corrupt businessmen who became known as oligarchs. Putin cemented his early popularity by cracking down on these oligarchs, although he has since created a new oligarchy that is loyal to him..¹ According to him, they could usurpTake power by force or illegal measures. the President easily.

Some think Putin's billionaire buddies might be the next to stab him in the back, threatened by Russia's economic sanctions and the persistent decline of the ruble's value.

Yes: There are many scenarios by which Putin could be overthrown. His war in Ukraine has reached a boiling point and he is resorting to desperate measures to seem in control. We are seeing the last gasps of a drowning man.

No: History is rarely as dramatic and explosive as we imagine it to be. As much as people like to fantasise about uprisings, Putin has been in power for more than two decades, and he will not be easy to unseat.

Or... This may not be the moment that Putin is deposed, but it will feature in the history books as one of the factors in his demise. Big historical events are often formed of a hundred different events and facts that we can only put together in hindsight.

Dissidents - People who publicly disagree with or criticise an authority or government, especially an oppressive one.

Siberia - A northern region of Russia, known for its harsh winters. It has a long history as a place of exile for criminals and political prisoners.

Despot - A medieval word for a ruler who exercises absolute power, by implication for the worse.

Dictators - Rulers with total power over a country.

Kim Jong-un - The leader of North Korea since 2011.

Xi Jinping - The president of China, who has concentrated power and removed term limits allowing him to serve for life.

Bashar al-Assad - The president of Syria since 2000. He fled to Russia with his family in 2024.

Putin - Vladimir Putin - Russia's ruler since 2000. He is a strong opponent of the West.

Ally - A country that has agreed to support another one.

Yevgeny Prigozhin - A Russian oligarch and leader of the Wagner Group, a group of mercenary soldiers. He launched a failed coup against Russian president Vladimir Putin in June 2023.

Pretender - Somebody who pretends to be something they are not. A pretender to the throne claims to be the rightful ruler of a nation.

Anarchy - A situation in which there are no rulers. The term can be used to describe complete political chaos or mob rule, but those who call themselves anarchists generally believe in mutual aid and cooperation, not a war of all-against-all.

Emphysema - A lung condition that makes it difficult to breathe.

Soviet Union - Officially the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics (USSR). A powerful group of communist republics, the biggest being Russia, that existed from 1922 to 1991.

Ruble - The Russian currency. It was the first currency in Europe to be decimalised, in 1704.

Oligarchs - After the collapse of the Soviet Union, most of the country's economy fell into the hands of corrupt businessmen who became known as oligarchs. Putin cemented his early popularity by cracking down on these oligarchs, although he has since created a new oligarchy that is loyal to him.

Usurp - Take power by force or illegal measures.