Red Mosquito

Anders wrote:

wease wrote:What’s the correlation between Seagal and Russia? I’ve missed something.

Friend of Putin.

Like buddies or just indebted to like trump is?

tragabigzanda wrote:WILL ONE OF YOU TWO RUSSIANS EXPERTS JUST TELL ME WHO TAKES OVER IF PUTIN DIES

I dunno about who will, but if no Romanovs are available to be restored to the throne, there are some Hapsburgs kicking around that would be perfect for the job.

tragabigzanda wrote:WILL ONE OF YOU TWO RUSSIANS EXPERTS JUST TELL ME WHO TAKES OVER IF PUTIN DIES

It’s Medvedev

wease wrote:

Anders wrote:

wease wrote:What’s the correlation between Seagal and Russia? I’ve missed something.

Friend of Putin.

Like buddies or just indebted to like trump is?

Buddies. He's (or was) mayor of some Russian town.

wease wrote:

Anders wrote:

wease wrote:What’s the correlation between Seagal and Russia? I’ve missed something.

Friend of Putin.

Like buddies or just indebted to like trump is?

The Guardian: «Putin said he hoped adding Seagal to the list of celebrities who have gained Russian citizenship in recent years could be seen as “a sign of gradual normalisation of the relations between our countries”.

Seagal called the passport a “great honour” to which Putin responded by telling him he hoped their “personal relationship will remain and continue”.»

simple schoolboy wrote:

wease wrote:

Anders wrote:

wease wrote:What’s the correlation between Seagal and Russia? I’ve missed something.

Friend of Putin.

Like buddies or just indebted to like trump is?

Buddies. He's (or was) mayor of some Russian town.

Holy crow! Seriously?

Anders wrote:

wease wrote:

Anders wrote:

wease wrote:What’s the correlation between Seagal and Russia? I’ve missed something.

Friend of Putin.

Like buddies or just indebted to like trump is?

The Guardian: «Putin said he hoped adding Seagal to the list of celebrities who have gained Russian citizenship in recent years could be seen as “a sign of gradual normalisation of the relations between our countries”.

Seagal called the passport a “great honour” to which Putin responded by telling him he hoped their “personal relationship will remain and continue”.»

That’s fucked up

E.H. Ruddock wrote:

tragabigzanda wrote:WILL ONE OF YOU TWO RUSSIANS EXPERTS JUST TELL ME WHO TAKES OVER IF PUTIN DIES

It’s Medvedev

Not technically at the moment, but it’s possible.

tragabigzanda wrote:WILL ONE OF YOU TWO RUSSIANS EXPERTS JUST TELL ME WHO TAKES OVER IF PUTIN DIES

You have the same Google that I do. It seems that initially, the Prime Minister (Mikhail Mishustin) would take over the position of Acting President. But it's a very provisional position--both on paper, as it seems acting president has some pretty severe restrictions on their power (required to call for new elections within three months), and more importantly, informally, since Mishustin is basically a nobody. From Business Insider:

Mishustin is regarded in Russian political circles as a bland and powerless factotum with no major ambitions. At the time of the announcement, Tatiana Stanovaya, a nonresident scholar at the Carnegie Moscow Center, described Mishustin as a "technocratic placeholder," with little political backing from anyone beyond Putin.

https://www.businessinsider.com/russia- ... lan-2020-6

So Putin's death--and especially his sudden death at the hands of a foreign power during a war with a different nation, while basically under siege from the global community--would not at all guarantee a quick re-consolidation of power behind a less insane candidate. What happens after the provisional term runs out, assuming it gets that far, is anyone's guess. Maybe the more liberal Medvedev takes power. Or maybe the fucking army takes over. You have no way of knowing because Putin has systematically consolidated power in the executive position for two decades and held onto it like a mafia boss. So again, even assuming the US could successfully assassinate this famously paranoid leader of a nuclear power (I absolutely think they'd fuck it up), what comes through door number two is a big old question mark.

But all of this is relatively besides the point, since you don't have to be a Russia expert to know that trying to assassinate the head of a nuclear power is a fucking insane thing to propose for reasons that are entirely self-evident.

Mickey wrote:

tragabigzanda wrote:WILL ONE OF YOU TWO RUSSIANS EXPERTS JUST TELL ME WHO TAKES OVER IF PUTIN DIES

You have the same Google that I do. It seems that initially, the Prime Minister (Mikhail Mishustin) would take over the position of Acting President. But it's a very provisional position--both on paper, as it seems acting president has some pretty severe restrictions on their power (required to call for new elections within three months), and more importantly, informally, since Mishustin is basically a nobody. From Business Insider:

Mishustin is regarded in Russian political circles as a bland and powerless factotum with no major ambitions. At the time of the announcement, Tatiana Stanovaya, a nonresident scholar at the Carnegie Moscow Center, described Mishustin as a "technocratic placeholder," with little political backing from anyone beyond Putin.

https://www.businessinsider.com/russia- ... lan-2020-6

So Putin's death--and especially his sudden death at the hands of a foreign power during a war with a different nation, while basically under siege from the global community--would not at all guarantee a quick re-consolidation of power behind a less insane candidate. What happens after the provisional term runs out, assuming it gets that far, is anyone's guess. Maybe the more liberal Medvedev takes power. Or maybe the fucking army takes over. You have no way of knowing because Putin has systematically consolidated power in the executive position for two decades and held onto it like a mafia boss. So again, even assuming the US could successfully assassinate this famously paranoid leader of a nuclear power (I absolutely think they'd fuck it up), what comes through door number two is a big old question mark.

But all of this is relatively besides the point, since you don't have to be a Russia expert to know that trying to assassinate the head of a nuclear power is a fucking insane thing to propose for reasons that are entirely self-evident.

Good post.

Sergei Sobyanin is very popular, mixes with the right people, has charisma, power as the mayor of Moscow (very important financially). Could be him, since Medvedev’s star has fallen quite a bit in recent years.

tragabigzanda wrote:

Anders wrote:Sergei Sobyanin is very popular, mixes with the right people, has charisma, power as the mayor of Moscow (very important financially). Could be him, since Medvedev’s star has fallen quite a bit in recent years.

What are the odds that him, or someone like him, could be persuaded to get in on a US-backed coup?

This US meddling runs deep, huh.

Is it still paranoia if they really are after you?

tragabigzanda wrote:

Anders wrote:Sergei Sobyanin is very popular, mixes with the right people, has charisma, power as the mayor of Moscow (very important financially). Could be him, since Medvedev’s star has fallen quite a bit in recent years.

What are the odds that him, or someone like him, could be persuaded to get in on a US-backed coup?

I don’t think that’s an option. Astronomical odds, if you are thinking about one of the current elite. That’s like Russia doing the same with Kamala, to get rid of Biden.

Everyone answered Trag's question, so now it's his turn: you seem to assume that the big question is who comes next, and not how to do it. So how, exactly, do you think Putin can be assassinated without somehow incurring a massive, global escalation. Do you think the Russian air defense system can't pick up a predator drone? Half the time American pilots accidentally hit a wedding or a daycare. Are we still thinking ricin umbrella? Back and stoke the flames of a domestic coup without being detected? Please, lay out the plan so we can bask in its absolute and pure absurdity.

Okay but what if there's a third rate celebrity gossip talk show host who happens to be Putin's favorite American TV personality, and maybe him and his bumbling producer can attempt to apply a transdermal ricin patch to Putin's hand when they meet him for an exclusive interview. But then eventually they become friends and there's a montage of them singing "Firework" by Katy Perry.