What would happen if something or someone successfully killed Vladimir Putin?

Answer 1

The most likely person to take over if something were to happen to Putin would be Medvedev, who is simply a weaker version of Putin. There is no fundamentally different governing style or objective between these two men, so Russia, for all of its faults, would likely continue on whatever trajectory Putin had placed it on. Never mind as well that Putin's political party, United Russia, is immensely popular in Russia and within its ranks are numerous politicians more than willing to attempt to replicate Putin's behavior.

However, because no person other than Putin is exactly Putin, some small aspects of policy might change. They could become better or worse, because Putin does have a number of "positive" attributes, such as his ability to hold Russia together and keep the country organized. He also shows a certain degree of restraint, such as his choice only to supply Ukrainian separatists with weapons rather than directly declare war on Ukraine. It is unclear if a successor would take the same tone. Conversely, he has invaded Crimea, launched a bombing raid against the Free Syrian Army in Syria, proved obstructionist as concerns sanctioning Iran, and sabotaged his own economy through corruption. There is room for improvement if someone can figure out a way.