Putin Is Putting People Older Than The Average Russian Life Expectancy In Positions Of Power, UK Says

Russian President Vladimir Putin Vladimir Putin is appointing people “significantly older than most of the adult population” to senior leadership roles, according to UK officials.The Ministry of Defence (MoD) said the 72-year-old Russian president continues to hire his close personal allies to ensure he survives as the authoritarian leader.In its latest update on X, the MoD said: “The Russian state increasingly resembles a gerontocracy; a form of rule in which the senior leaders are significantly older than most of the adult population.“The majority of Russia’s senior leadership, including Putin (72) are aged in the vicinity of, and exceeding, Russia’s reported 2023 average life expectancy (approximately 68 years).”For instance, Russian security council secretary and former defence minister Sergei Shoigu’s military contract has reportedly just been extended for a further five years, until he’s 75 years old.The MoD claimed the high-profile politician also missed Russia’s May 9 Victory Day parade in Moscow “for health-related reasons”.The British officials speculated that Putin’s decision to install older figures in senior leadership roles is a bid to protect his regime.“Putin has highly likely sought to keep close personal allies in positions of power to better ensure perceived regime stability, as well as his own survivability,” the MoD said.“Political appointments derive from patronage and long-term loyalty to Putin, as opposed to being merit-based, likely engendering dissatisfaction and frustration amongst the younger generation of ambition potential leaders.”However, this is having a knock-on effect on the way Russia is being run, the MoD said.The British officials claimed Putin’s apparent preference for these elderly figureheads “significantly undermines the effectiveness and efficiency of leadership decisions”.The MoD said it means key choices “are likely made not by the most capable, but by those with the most longstanding acquiescence and commitment to, as well as deriving the most benefit from, Putin’s authoritarianism.”The Russian leader, who first came to power in 2000, has a reputation for squashing any domestic opponents.He won his fifth term in office last year following what many in the west have described as a “sham” election.Latest Defence Intelligence update on the situation in Ukraine - May 19 2025.Find out more about Defence Intelligence's use of language: https://t.co/r0r7GqjFbQ#StandWithUkraine 🇺🇦 pic.twitter.com/FhGaRJC1Ei— Ministry of Defence 🇬🇧 (@DefenceHQ) May 19, 2025Related...Trump Says He Plans To Talk To Putin About Deploying Nuclear Weapons In SpaceTrump Boasts About 'Excellent' Phone Call With Putin After Securing Zero Ceasefire Guarantees'Nonsense And Offensive': Nick Robinson Clashes With Putin Ally In On-Air Spat

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