The head of the "Wagner" Communist Party Yevgeny Prigozhin can stage a coup d'état in Russia and take power from President

This was stated by political scientist Jason J. Smart, writes Newsweek.

"Putin thinks he has everything under control. But all dictators think so until a certain moment. It is very difficult to predict when that moment will come," he said.

According to Smart, the war with Ukraine is still popular among Russian citizens.

At most, last year's predictions about Putin's removal from power by the oligarchs due to Western sanctions damaging the Russian economy did not come true.

Who can take Putin's place?

During the 12th month of the war, Russia suffered major defeats.

The "quick victory" that Putin wanted to achieve has long been forgotten, Ukraine has recaptured large territories from the enemy in the south and northeast.

Military failures were sharply criticized even by Putin's main supporters - Ramzan Kadyrov and Prigozhin.

Discontent is brewing in the Russian elites.

Information is leaking into the media that circles close to the Kremlin are secretly discussing the list of Putin's successors in the event of his removal from power.

According to NewsWeek, the five possible candidates look like this.

Dmitry Medvedev

The ex-president and former prime minister of Russia, and now the deputy chairman of the Security Council, Dmytro Medvedev, throughout the war made extremely sharp statements regarding foreign policy issues.

Serhiy Kiriyenko

Kiriyenko holds the position of first deputy head of the administration of the President of the Russian Federation.

During Yeltsin's time, he headed the Russian government and contributed to Putin's advancement up the career ladder.

Kiriyenko managed the organization of fake referendums in the temporarily occupied territories of Luhansk, Zaporizhzhia and Kherson regions.

Dmytro and Mykola Patrushevy

The Minister of Agriculture of Russia Dmytro Patrushev is the son of the Chairman of the Security Council of the Russian Federation Mykola Patrushev.

University of Bath lecturer Stephen Hall says the couple have long been talked about in the Kremlin as potential successors to Putin.

"Mykola Patrushev is a good manipulator. He knows how to balance in order to maintain his power. Therefore, it is quite possible that he will become Putin's successor or nominate his son for this role," - believes Hall.

Evgeny Prigozhin

The founder of Wagner PMC made headlines for his public criticism of Putin's military leadership over Ukraine's successful counteroffensive.

Hall believes that Prigozhin, who has a de facto personal army, may stop supporting Putin and start "acting behind the scenes as a puppet master."

Under what conditions can Putin be removed from power

Kasia Kaczmarska, a professor of politics and international relations at the University of Edinburgh, believes that Putin has nothing to worry about.

 "I don't think any of the regime's representatives are capable of standing up to Putin. His allies will have to join forces to challenge the leader, but there is no unity between them," she says.

Adrian Florea, a senior lecturer in international relations at the University of Glasgow, on the contrary, believes that the prospects for regime change will become much greater in the near future.

Large-scale mobilization will probably drive Russia into a severe economic crisis, and dissatisfaction with it will grow both in the center and in the regions.

"Under these conditions, the struggle for power within the Kremlin will most likely intensify," Florea added.

Earlier, the Dailymail wrote that 

 is in danger of losing power as different factions in his regime attack each other and a strong leader is too weak to stop them.

In addition, The Economist wrote that Russian elites are beginning to understand that 

, and are beginning to discuss how they will have to live without Putin.

Read also:

• The complete collapse of the regime or a coup d'état: how Putin can be overthrown

• There is a war between the two "towers of the Kremlin", Putin is in the middle - a military expert

• The transition of power is being prepared in the Russian Federation: the expert named the names of the contenders for the "throne"

• They are strengthening their influence in the Kremlin: analysts have named who Putin depends on

• Putin's successor: the political scientist named three circles in the Kremlin that can nominate their candidates

• Who are Patrushev, Prigozhin and Kovalchuk: their influence on Putin and the war in Ukraine

• How the war in Ukraine can end: six scenarios