Putin's Leap to Eternity [Lipman Series 2020]

PONARS Eurasia Podcast

In mid-January, Russia embarked on a major constitutional reform, introducing a series of constitutional amendments that were swiftly adopted by federal and regional parliaments. The most important amendment, which appeared at the last moment, proposed a "reset" of Putin's presidential term limit, thereby allowing him to run for the presidency again in 2024.
Why did Putin need to revise the constitution, how long has the Kremlin been planning this move, and how has it been influenced by the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic?
In the first of a new series of PONARS Eurasia Podcasts, Masha Lipman chats with Ben Noble of University College London, Nikolai Petrov of Chatham House, and Henry Hale of George Washington University to learn more.