Russia has considered replacing Putin for a year – Budanov

“The options for transferring power have been considered and have been under consideration for over a year, but they cannot come to a decision,” he said.

Read also: Russian elite turning away from Putin – German Defense Minister

He suggested that a “palace coup” could occur in the Kremlin, but it will not be publicly noticed.

“At most, they will say that someone died of a heart attack, or someone was arrested because he turned out to be a British intelligence agent, as it was in the 30s, do you remember? This has all happened before,” said the HUR chief.

Read also: Russian elites seek contacts in Ukraine for ‘security guarantees’ – HUR

Russia’s military- and political elites are already discussing candidates for Putin’s successor, and there is more than one, said Budanov. He refused to name specific names.

German Defense Minister Boris Pistorius stated earlier that the Russian elite have begun to turn away from Vladimir Putin.

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Read the original article on The New Voice of Ukraine