There’s something strange afoot in Moscow – or so it seems.
There are unsubstantiated rumors that Vladimir Putin is gravely ill.
The State Duma is voting on legislation that would give former presidents and their families broad immunity from prosecution and lifetime seats in the Federation Council.
And all this at a time when Kremlin decision-making appears increasingly erratic.
Often things in Russia are not what they appear. And this week, we’ll try to shed a little light on what may be happening.
Joining the podcast are Ilya Ponomarev, a former member of the Russian State Duma, and Ilya Zaslavskiy, the head of research at the Free Russia Foundation.
The Power Vertical Podcast is produced by the University of Texas at Arlington’s Charles T. McDowell Center for Global Studies and the Atlantic Council’s Eurasia Center.
Photo: “Trip to Tver Region.” President of Russia, January 2018.
