Vladimir Putin Creating ‘New Oprichnina’

(Kassie Corelli – The Jamestown Foundation) Independent Russian investigative journalism platform Important Stories published a report on May 4 about the growing split among Kremlin elites. Russia’s security apparatus’s inability to protect the top military leadership is reportedly one of the causes of the conflict. Russia is likely facing two overlapping scenarios for its future. Loyal security forces may consolidate into a repressive bloc, or the current order could systemically collapse, resembling the Times of Troubles under Ivan the Terrible. A “new oprichnina”—wherein loyal armed forces would enforce Russian President Vladimir Putin’s authority through escalating repression and violence toward elites perceived as disloyal—could disrupt the balance among elite factions and make Putin increasingly dependent on his security apparatus. – Vladimir Putin Creating ‘New Oprichnina’ – Jamestown