Journalist Mary Ilyushina from WP has compiled a list of seven potential successors to Vladimir Putin as President of Russia. The individuals mentioned are: Prime Minister Mikhail Mishustin, Secretary of the State Council Alexey Dyumin, Deputy Prime Minister Dmitry Patrushev, Chairman of the Accounts Chamber Boris Kovalchuk, First Deputy Prime Minister Denis Manturov, Mayor of Moscow Sergey Sobyanin, and Head of Domestic Policy in the Kremlin Sergey Kiriyenko.
Mishustin is formally first in line for succession: according to the Russian constitution, he automatically assumes presidential powers if necessary. However, he remains an outsider to the influential security elite.
Dyumin, a former bodyguard of Putin, has experience in intelligence and military affairs. He served as Deputy Head of the GRU, led the special operations forces of Russia, and was Deputy Minister of Defense, becoming Secretary of the State Council in 2024.
Patrushev, according to Ilyushina, represents an influential clan of the sons of Russian elites. His father, Nikolai Patrushev, was the director of the FSB and Secretary of the Security Council of Russia.
Kovalchuk is the son of oligarch Yuri Kovalchuk, who is often referred to as Putin's personal banker and close friend.
Manturov has led the Ministry of Industry and Trade of Russia for over 10 years. In 2022, he began overseeing the defense industry and became First Deputy Prime Minister in 2024.
Sobyanin has been the Mayor of Moscow since 2010. Before that, he was the head of Putin's administration and led Medvedev's election campaign in 2008.
Kiriyenko served as Prime Minister of Russia under Yeltsin, later headed Rosatom, and currently oversees domestic policy in the Kremlin. He is also involved in preparing a new generation of officials, particularly through the "Time of Heroes" program, which trains war veterans for work in public service.