The fact that the Russian elites have such high hopes for Trump speaks volumes. Internally, they are striving for normalization, rationalization, and pragmatism: things that Putin cannot give them.

Imminent changes will mean less interaction between officials and local residents, less money for small-town Russia, and accelerated depopulation.

The Russian regime increasingly resembles the gerontocracy that ran the late Soviet Union, with elderly officials replacing other elderly officials, and some starting to die on the job.

Despite being able to falsify and manipulate results to an unprecedented degree, the Russian authorities do not have total control over elections.

By using electronic voting to rig elections on an unprecedented scale, Kremlin officials risk creating a “virtual” political system that could be deeply unstable in times of turbulence.

Twenty years ago, the Kremlin broke the power of local elites—but now Putin’s aversion to change means they are making a comeback.

There is a growing tumor in the system of personnel appointments that is now affecting the functioning of the Russian state, with some people even having their letters of resignation rejected.

The ongoing state of war and uncertain future mean that the Russian elites cannot make long-term plans, which encourages them to flout the old rules, live for today, and undertake power moves to score a win against their rivals.

Putin is more likely to promote people in their forties than older generations who have been in power for too long and can envisage life without him. But Russia doesn’t have enough young administrators ready to replace those in their sixties.

Today’s coerced voters are a world away from the unfortunates who a decade ago were secretly driven to special polling stations. In this month’s presidential election, administrative and corporate mobilization was given pride of place.