Author(s): Ilya Ponomarev; Gregg Stebben

Modern Thought

Imagine Putin's death. It doesn't matter from what: coronavirus, a brick falls on his head, or now, during his unsuccessful war in Ukraine, he takes a bullet in the head from an insider. Perhaps there's a rope involved. In Russia, this death immediately causes a huge imperious backlash-emptiness. This instantly leads to a conflict between rival power clans. Names are not so important now: Sechin, Kovalchuk, Chemezov, or others. After so many years of stagnation in Russia, many ambitious, influential, and wealthy people gave up on the possibility of changing things and now just go with the flow. However, they still have sharp teeth and a lot to loss. So when they see real danger for their lives and properties, they will immediately dive in with their best political game. Regionalization of clans is possible, leading to the disintegration of the country. Other scenarios are possible. In any case, there would be several competing centers of power. Each will need their own radicals, an infantry, to fight each other. There is a point of view that if there were several such centers of power in Russia with approximately equal resources, there would automatically be a democracy with fair elections, rotation of power, freedom of the press and speech, and an independent court. But there is another opinion, this time from Putinists, that this situation is fraught only with blood, chaos, and collapse. I cannot more strongly disagree with the last two points in particular. The former means the reinstatement of ligarchy, literally the return to the Yeltsin era. I am sure it will inspire no one in Russia. (Well, almost no one.) The latter is the outcome that may become the reality: when the new leadership would not know where to go and could not lead. Will have no vision, no ideas, no inner strength. This book contains a third vision held by myself and my comrades. Our transparency is the guarantee that chaos will not erupt. Instead, bloodshed could be largely limited to Putin and his minions, who, like horror movie vampires, have been sucking the very lifeblood from ordinary Russians since 1991. They should be terminated with an aspen stake through their hearts. Or a silver bullet. Or a rope. Book jacket.