Putin Has Set Stage For Downfall Of Russia, Ex-Kremlin Advisor Warns

Crippling economic sanctions and a lack of a solid succession plan could cause Russia to collapse once longtime President Vladimir Putin leaves office or is ousted, a former Kremlin adviser said this week, Nick Reynolds reported for Newsweek.

Photo Insert: Putin is still on the fence about another run for president in 2024—and facing the possibility of a coup attempt from insiders wary of a recent change to Russian law that would allow him to serve through 2036.

In an interview with CNBC Friday morning, economist, professor at Institute of Political Studies and former Kremlin adviser Sergei Guriev said economic sanctions from the West have created a dire situation for Russia's economy as it remains mired in conflict with the neighboring nation of Ukraine.

Putin is still on the fence about another run for president in 2024—and facing the possibility of a coup attempt from insiders wary of a recent change to Russian law that would allow him to serve through 2036, according to some in the US intelligence community.

Given that reality, Guriev believes the administration is ill-equipped to emerge from its current crisis after decades under Putin's control, which he said has fomented an environment of paranoia that could set the country up to become "North Korea on steroids."

A future regime change could take different forms, he said, with a revolving door of despotic leaders likely ranging from military officials to ultra-nationalist strongmen with little understanding of how the country operates.

"He built the regime in a way that without him, the system will not function," said Guriev. "People around him don't trust each other, sometimes hate each other. So if he's gone, the system will change somehow."

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