Putin elevates family members to key roles amid Kremlin instability fears
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Russian President Vladimir Putin is tightening his grip on power by elevating younger loyalists amid growing instability as the Kremlin ages, according to reports.
Sunday, Telegram He reported that 73-year-old Putin, who has ruled Russia for more than two decades, “has no cards left to play” due to increasing pressure both at home and abroad.
The Federal Security Service (FSB) opened a criminal case against exiled businessman Mikhail Khodorkovsky and 22 members of the Russian Anti-War Committee, accusing them of plotting to seize power. Khodorkovsky spent ten years in a Siberian prison before founding the Anti-War Committee in 2022.
John Herbst, Senior Director of the Atlantic Council’s Eurasia Center and former US ambassador to Ukraine, told UK media that “the Kremlin has fallen into paranoia”.
PUTIN SAID WESTERN TROOPS IN UKRAINE WOULD BE ‘LEGITIMATE TARGETS’
Russian President Vladimir Putin attends a meeting at the Kremlin in Moscow, Russia, on Monday, August 18, 2025. ((Vyacheslav Prokofyev, Sputnik, Kremlin Pool Photo via AP))
“All the people around him are starting to think about a world beyond Putin, so he’s really carefully calibrated his own elite so there’s no clear seam where they can come apart,” George Washington University Professor of Political Science and International Relations Henry Hale told Fox News Digital.
“He now has members of his own family who are starting to rise through the ranks. One of the most notable is Anna Evgenievna Tsivilyova (née Putina),” Hale said.
Tsivilyova, 52, is Putin’s once-deposed first cousin and currently heads the Defenders of the Fatherland Foundation, a state-run organization that supports Russian soldiers and veterans.
He also served as chairman of the board of directors of Kolmar Group, one of Russia’s largest coal companies.
PUTIN AND XI DEPENDED TIES WHEN IRANIAN AND NORTH KOREA LEADERS VISITED BEIJING
Vladimir Putin is tightening his grip on power by introducing family members and young allies to his inner circle. (Maksim Konstantinov/SOPA Images/LightRocket via Getty Images)
“Young people are being raised by the older generation, which is seamlessly integrated into the power pyramid,” Hale said.
“Putin is worried about what will happen as he gets older”, “And if you don’t provide an opportunity for young people to stand up, you know, then the regime might come under some pressure.”
“These people can be trusted because they are related to people close to Putin, and they can also be young and energetic. Young people are raised by the older generation and are seamlessly integrated into the power pyramid,” Hale said.
In 2023, Wagner Group leader Yevgeny Prigozhin led a brief rebellion and sent his fighters to Moscow, then abruptly withdrew and died in a plane crash weeks later.
Now the Kremlin’s focus has turned to silencing dissent abroad.
PUTIN ALLY SAYS ‘TITANIC EFFORTS’ TO MAKE THE TRUMP SUMMIT SUCCESSFUL ON THE UKRAINE WAR CONTINUE
Russian President Vladimir Putin listens to Yevgeny Balitsky, the Moscow-appointed head of Ukraine’s Russian-controlled Zaporozhye region, during a meeting at the Kremlin in Moscow, Russia, Monday, Nov. 18, 2024. (Vyacheslav Prokofyev, Sputnik, Kremlin Pool Photo via AP)
“Tension continues among the elite and Putin wants to get rid of possible risks,” Hale said. Hale said, “The 2023 incident was Putin’s warning to his elites, his inner circle, not to try anything. Putin and his men are watching each other carefully, so don’t do anything funny.” he added.
Recent Western sanctions, less oil revenues and war costs could push Russia into recession.
Ministry of Treasury under the Presidency Donald Trump Sanctions against Russia’s two largest oil producers, Rosneft and Lukoil, have increased pressure on the Kremlin to end the war in Ukraine.
According to reports, the Russian government may raise taxes and increase domestic borrowing to close the deficit.
Hale added, “Putin overcame the main crisis that the all-out invasion of Ukraine brought to Russia, the first shock of the invasion, which was not being able to take Ukraine, within a few days.”
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“But war brings uncertainty, and there is a risk of catastrophic defeat by performing below expectations. All the people around him are starting to think about a world beyond Putin.”
“That said, I think Putin’s regime is pretty stable right now,” Hale said.
Fox News Digital has reached out to the Kremlin for comment.
