The media have recently reported deaths of presidents. First, the leader of Kazakhstan Nazarbayev was said to have died, then rumors about the death of the president of Turkmenistan Berdimuhammedov spread. All these rumors were dismissed shortly.

Rumors on the death of Putin’s friend Erdogan, the Turkish president, were also dismissed.

These rumors were especially intensively circulated in the Russian press. The free-thinking Russian experts draw different conclusions. Some experts claim that the Russian media are jealous while others think there is some relief from dismissing these rumors.

Along with news headlines on death of presidents a significant thing happened in Moscow. Putin met with the ex-president of Kyrgyzstan Atambayev who is charged with a criminal offense in his home country. Apparently, Russia will give him asylum, like to the ex-president of Ukraine Yanukovich. This is important for Putin because prosecution of ex-presidents in the post-Soviet space only creates bad precedents.

Russia is going through the worst cycles of its history. The country is overwhelmed with total theft and corruption, arbitrariness of clergy, bureaucracy and special services. Degradation and deterioration of the quality of life continues. Despite the delirious propaganda, more Russians stop believing in the absurd propaganda on spiritualism and greatness.

Experts say the coming two years will be years of deepening political and economic crisis, and the Kremlin will face the issue of transition of power.

In this context, the issue of presidents gains a specific shade for Putin and for the Russian “establishment” in general. Putin’s popularity is dropping, the popularity of the ruling party has dropped so low that the representatives of the ruling party are being nominated not by their party.

Will Putin remain and with what status and justification or will he leave? Will he leave in 2024 or earlier? The Russians are discussing different schemes and scenarios, from the Kazakh scenario to bloodshed. The problem is that a change of government through elections has never been the case in Russia and will hardly take place in the visible future.

At the same time, in the context of conversations about transition of power the cruel and already bloody struggle for shrinking resources and new positions between different influential groups and centers of power has intensified.

Indeed these events must affect Armenia. In this situation, it would not be dumb to state that Armenia needs stability in Russia. It is about a specific situation in which Russia has appeared, unfortunately or by the cruel logic of history.

Armenia must follow attentively the transit of government in Russia, while accelerating the capacity building of the armed forces.

https://www.lragir.am/en/2019/07/30/72807