A while back I was surprised when longtime ally and friend of Vladimir Putin, Dmitriy Medvedev was replaced as Prime Minister by Mikhail Mishustin. After some puzzlement I however concluded that it was probably a generational shift or a desire to find a better administrator compared to rather useless Medvedev.
Looking back at it I started to think it was possibly an error. Development in Georgia and Kyrgyzstan made me rethink my original assessment. Putin as I know him, would not bully Bidzina Ivanishvili into rescinding democracy or force Kyrgyz politicians to release Sadir Japarov and make him President.
I read somewhere that Mishustin was backed by a "patriotic" radical oligarch Konstantin Malofeev and probably others, who supports radical ideas of Dugin, supported anti-Ukrainian rebels, tried to censor Internet and did other things.
With that in mind appointment of Mishustin could mean quiet but a significant shift in politics in Moscow towards real radicalism.
Putin was not a democrat or a liberal, but he was not a real radical either. Putin simply pander to the sentiments of Russian patriots with occasional token military action or anti-western speech. Putin needed patriots support to keep his power and used them as a tool against liberals such as Navalny.
At the heart however Putin was simply a secret police kleptocrat, who wanted to enrich himself while keeping his grip on power. Any radical military action he took in the past, was only for the preservation of his power. Military action in Georgia and seizure of Crimea were all to fool patriots into thinking he is willing to go on a serious confrontation with the West and keep their support for his continued rule.
That might possibly have changed. Patriots somehow managed to pressure Putin into giving them real power. They now using this power to pursue their Eurasian agenda. Events in Georgia, Kyrgyzstan and continued commitment to continue war in Ukraine all suggest this new reality.
All of that is bad for the world and us all. Token radicals from secret police are replaced with bona-fide lunatics who want to build an "empire" with violence and threats.
If people like Mishustin or Malofeev actually believe in Dugin's mad ramble about Eurasia and Russian world, then they are dangerous on the whole new level compared to Putin. We should all prepare for a Second Cold War. CIA and other intelligence services should oppose and undermine them at every corner. They should be removed from power and deprived of any influence they have.
Sure, Putin still stays as President, but he is now older than 70 and possibly already a figurehead for Mishustin and Duginites (people who share Dugin views). He might as well be in the same role as Paul von Hindenburg was to Adolf Hitler.
That silent change in government in early 2020 would explain increased radicalization of Russian actions across the globe and continued war effort in Ukraine. Hopefully radical Duginites can be removed from power before they will actually create Nazi Russia.
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