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[Dutchling]

I know Russia is mostly off limits these days, but I have to hear from my good friends in Russia - how's Putin doing? The UK tabloids are putting out stories about Putin disappearing and the possibility of a coup. Apparently the Israeli ambassador to Russia said there were "signs of a coup". What's going on?

There's all kinds of crazy stories going around about the security services and oligarchs...

Nobody knows.

[Frumple]

Unseen since the 5th, slated to make a public appearance tomorrow (the 16th). More than that, no one really knows, last I checked.

[Owlbread]

A biographer of Putin is claiming it's more about the line of succession - the Siloviki want rid of Medvedev.

Apparently he's going to appear this week and say he's been on holiday.

[Sergarr]

If they wanted to get rid of M., then they're doing a shoddy job of it, since he's still posting stuff on his facebook

[Owlbread]

If they wanted to get rid of M., then they're doing a shoddy job of it, since he's still posting stuff on his facebook

What are people in Russia saying about Putin's disappearance, Sergarr? He's been gone for quite some time...

[mainiac]

My money is on him hopping a plane to Argentina to go see his mistress.  If there is no news about where he is gone I will take it as evidence of that.

[Frumple]

Mistress-just-gave-birth is up there with coup and the common cold, yeah, apparently.

Since we don't seem to have enough weirdness in this, I'm going to say russian science has finally gone far enough and it's Putin that's gone into labor. That would make a good scenario. Make it a putin/moleman hybrid and we're really cooking with gas.

[Sergarr]

If they wanted to get rid of M., then they're doing a shoddy job of it, since he's still posting stuff on his facebook

What are people in Russia saying about Putin's disappearance, Sergarr? He's been gone for quite some time...

Mostly nothing. I wouldn't even notice if not for Western forums buzzing with speculation. He should appear tomorrow, anyway, there's a scheduled meeting and everything.

[Owlbread]

Is the fact that modern Russia is almost entirely built around one man's leadership both its greatest strength and most terrible weakness? What comes after him? All the factions he's got backing him will have to do battle... it will be a very fractured state.

[smjjames]

CNN said that he reappeared a few days ago or so they thought, they're as clueless and confused as everybody else though.

If it is a coup, then I wonder by whom. Wouldn't a coup have announced themselves by now? Unless they don't feel secure yet or something. .

[Owlbread]

CNN said that he reappeared a few days ago or so they thought, they're as clueless and confused as everybody else though.

If it is a coup, then I wonder by whom. Wouldn't a coup have announced themselves by now? Unless they don't feel secure yet or something. .

The security service elite that Medvedev pissed off during his presidency.

[Sergarr]

You know, maybe he's actually trolling us all by taking a break (he hasn't taken a longer-than-one-day break in a loooong time IIRC) and looking how the country works without him. Like a kind-of test of how well his government works without his constant supervision.

[smjjames]

Is the fact that modern Russia is almost entirely built around one man's leadership both its greatest strength and most terrible weakness? What comes after him? All the factions he's got backing him will have to do battle... it will be a very fractured state.

Also, who is his version of a Vice President? Namely, who is slated to succeed him if something happens to him, or temporarily even?

I have no idea who would be considered putins second in command, so to speak.

@sergarr: if he is taking a break, then why is the Kremln being paranoidally secretive about it? 

[Helgoland]

Medvedev.

@Owlbread: You might want to look at what happened after Franco's death. I have a great deal of grudging respect for that guy.

[Sergarr]

Is the fact that modern Russia is almost entirely built around one man's leadership both its greatest strength and most terrible weakness? What comes after him? All the factions he's got backing him will have to do battle... it will be a very fractured state.

Also, who is his version of a Vice President? Namely, who is slated to succeed him if something happens to him, or temporarily even?

I have no idea who would be considered putins second in command, so to speak.

@sergarr: if he is taking a break, then why is the Kremln being paranoidally secretive about it?

Kremlin being a secretive ass is a constant. You should've heard the responses they said in regards to the presence of Russian troops in Crimea. "A complete nonsense", "Bumbling ramblings", "Only an idiot can believe that" and so on. It was pretty hilarious, especially after they finally said that "Yeah there were actually our troops there and we were just pretending at that moment".