Kremlin Refutes Claims About Putin’s Potential Successors as Unsubstantiated

Politicians’ reflections about a successor for Russian President Vladimir Putin are most often absolutely unsubstantiated, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said on Tuesday, Sputnik reports.

The ‘successors’ topic is traditionally generating great interest in Russia’s political circles and political experts circles … It has always been the case, and I believe it will always remain the case,” Peskov told reporters.

The Kremlin spokesman added that such reflections are most often nothing but rhetoric and they are not substantiated by anything.

Vladimir Zhirinovsky, the leader of the Liberal Democratic Party of Russia, has recently named prime minister Mikhail Mishustin, defense minister Sergei Shoigu, Russian Foreign Intelligence Service Director Sergey Naryshkin, upper chamber speaker Valentina Matviyenko, lower chamber speaker Viacheslav Volodin, Accounts Chamber Chairman Alexei Kudrin, Moscow Mayor Sergey Sobyanin and Tula region governor Alexei Dyumin among potential successors of the Russian leader.