Russia expert Derek Hutcheson joins us to discuss the reasons for Russian President Vladimir Putin’s political longevity and whether his power is finally on the slide. 

What impact did the economic chaos in Russia in the decade leading up to Vladimir Putin’s ascension to the presidency have on his political career? Will the suspicious death of his former ally Yevgeny Prigozhin have an impact on Putin’s ability to keep Russia’s powerful elites onside? And will it be generational change rather than a coup that brings about a major realignment in Russian politics? On this episode of Democracy Sausage, Professor Derek Hutcheson joins Professor Mark Kenny to discuss sources of Putin’s political power and the impact of the disastrous, illegal war on Ukraine on his standing in Russia. 

Derek Stanford Hutcheson is a visiting Russia specialist at The Australian National University (ANU) and a Professor of Political Science and Vice-Dean at Sweden’s Malmö University. 

Mark Kenny is a Professor at the ANU Australian Studies Institute. He came to the University after a high-profile journalistic career including six years as chief political correspondent and national affairs editor for The Sydney Morning Herald, The Age and The Canberra Times. 

Democracy Sausage with Mark Kenny is available on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Pocket Casts, Google Podcasts or wherever you get your podcasts. We’d love to hear your feedback on this series, so send in your questions, comments or suggestions for future episodes to [email protected]. 

This podcast is produced by The Australian National University. 

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