'Russia is ruled by "a specific type of people who have preserved the Soviet idea that the West is a threat to them and that it is trying by any means possible to harm them," [Maria Snegovaya] asserted.
One of the key figures in Putin's inner circle who fits this description is Security Council head Nikolai Patrushev, a former KGB officer who "Putin trusts as much as he trusts anyone," said Moscow-based political analyst Valery Solovei.
"Patrushev formulates a strategy and presents that strategy to the president, who confirms it," he told RFE/RL. "And the essence of that strategy is extremely simple – it is clear that the main thing is not to allow any threats to the regime."
The Kremlin, Snegovaya said, is certainly looking beyond the September elections to the Duma to the end of Putin's current term in 2024.
"By all accounts, when the constitution was amended in 2020, it was decided that Putin will remain in power for life," Snegovaya told RFE/RL. "From that, conclusions were drawn. Events in Belarus and the need to win the [Duma] elections at all costs have also played a role."
"It has been decided not to hold anything back anymore, as they had done in the past," she concluded.'
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As Sweeping Crackdown Intensifies, Russians Wonder What Comes Next, August 4, 2021
Context'A critical examination of U.S. policy misfires in dealing with Russia and its intentions and capabilities over the past several decades is long overdue..''Russia is a problem to be managed pragmatically and with coolheaded realism.'