On April 12th, Politico published an opinion piece by Timothy M. Frye (Marshall D. Shulman Professor of Post-Soviet Foreign Policy). Frye writes about the likelihood of regime change in Russia and the implications of various scenarios for international relations and domestic Russian politics. He concludes:

“Biden called for Putin to leave office, but autocratic politics is often less about the personal quirks or personalities of a single individual than about the nature of autocracy itself. A Russia without Putin that remains a personalist autocracy may disappoint those hoping for a Russia that is less corrupt, repressive and at peace with its neighbors. In the end, real political change in Russia will require more than removing Putin.”