Putin elevates family members to key posts amid Kremlin fears of instability

Russian President Vladimir Putin is strengthening his grip on power by breeding young loyalists amid growing instability within the Kremlin as he ages, according to reports.

On Sunday, The telegraph reported that Putin, 73, who has led Russia for more than two decades, is “running out of cards to play” as pressure mounts both domestically and abroad.

The Federal Security Service (FSB) also opened a criminal case against exiled businessman Mikhail Khodorkovsky and 22 members of Russia’s Anti-War Committee, accusing them of plotting a power grab, according to reports. Khodorkovsky spent a decade in a Siberian prison before founding the Anti-War Committee in 2022.

John Herbst, senior director of the Eurasia Center at the Atlantic Council and former US ambassador to Ukraine, told the British media outlet that “the Kremlin is falling into paranoia.”

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Russian President Vladimir Putin attends a meeting at the Kremlin in Moscow, Russia, Monday, August 18, 2025. ((Vyacheslav Prokofyev, Sputnik, Kremlin swimming pool photo via AP))

“Everyone around him started thinking about a world beyond Putin, so he organized his own elite very carefully, so that there were no clear seams along which it could tear itself apart,” Henry Hale, a professor of political science and international affairs at George Washington University, told Fox News Digital.

“He also has members of his own family who are starting to rise in the ranks. One of those who has gotten the most attention is Anna Evgenievna Tsivilyova, née Putin,” Hale said.

Tsivilyova, 52, is Putin’s first cousin and currently heads the Defenders of the Fatherland Foundation, a public organization that supports Russian soldiers and veterans.

She also served as chairman of the board of directors of Kolmar Group, one of Russia’s largest coal companies.

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Vladimir Putin strengthens his grip on power by promoting members of his family and his younger allies in his entourage. (Maksim Konstantinov/SOPA Images/LightRocket via Getty Images)

“Young people are raised by the older generation, perfectly integrated into the pyramid of power,” Hale said.

“Putin worries about what happens with age, and if you don’t give young people the opportunity to rise up, you know, then the regime might come under some pressure. »

“These people can be trusted because they are related to people close to Putin, and they may also be young and energetic. The younger ones are raised by the older generation, integrated seamlessly into the pyramid of power,” Hale added.

In 2023, Wagner Group leader Eugene Prigozhin staged a brief mutiny, sending his fighters toward Moscow before abruptly withdrawing only to die weeks later in a plane crash.

Today, the Kremlin’s goal is now to silence opposition abroad.

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Russian President Vladimir Putin listens to the Moscow-appointed head of Ukraine’s Russian-controlled Zaporizhzhia region, Yevgeny Balitsky, during their meeting at the Kremlin in Moscow, Russia, Monday, Nov. 18, 2024. (Vyacheslav Prokofyev, Sputnik, Kremlin swimming pool photo via AP)

“Tensions remain within the elite and Putin wants to get rid of any possible risk,” Hale said. “The 2023 incident was a warning from Putin to his own elite, to his own entourage, not to dare to try anything. Putin and his people watch each other carefully and therefore do not try anything funny,” Hale added.

Recently, Western sanctions, declining oil revenues and war costs could push Russia into recession.

The Treasury Department under the presidency Donald Trump sanctioned Russia’s two largest oil producers, Rosneft and Lukoil, increasing pressure on the Kremlin to end its war in Ukraine.

There are reports that the Russian government may raise taxes and increase domestic borrowing to close the gap.

“Putin overcame the main crisis that the full-scale invasion of Ukraine caused in Russia, which was the initial shock of the invasion and its failure to take Ukraine within days,” Hale added.

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“But the war brings uncertainty and there is a risk of a disastrous defeat, which will not meet expectations. All the people around him are starting to think about a world beyond Putin.”

“That said, I think Putin’s regime is pretty stable at the moment,” Hale concluded.

Fox News Digital has contacted the Kremlin for comment.