The House that Putin is Building

By Rob Dannenberg

Rob Dannenberg served as chief of operations for CIA's Counterterrorism Center, chief of the Central Eurasia Division and chief of the Information Operations Center before retiring from the Agency.  He served as managing director and head of the Office of Global Security for Goldman Sachs, and as director of International Security Affairs at BP.  He is now an independent consultant on geopolitical and security risk.

Rob Dannenberg is a 24-year veteran of the CIA, where he served in several senior leadership positions, including chief of operations for the Counterterrorism Center, chief of the Central Eurasia Division and chief of the CIA’s Information Operations Center.  Dannenberg is now an independent consultant and speaker on geopolitical and security risk, after serving as the managing director and head of the Office of Global Security for Goldman Sachs, and director of International Security Affairs at BP.

On January 15, Russian President Vladimir Putin fired his entire government, including Prime Minister Dmitry Medvedev (technically, Medvedev resigned at Putin’s request), and initiated a series of amendments to the Constitution meant to enable him to continue steering Russia after his fourth and current term expires in 2024. Putin then appointed Mikhail Mishustin as the new prime minister, while Medvedev has been appointed the deputy chairman of the presidential Security Council, even though the legislation to create such a position has not yet been approved by the Duma. The expectation in Moscow is that the “referendum” on the constitutional changes will take place May 1st—passage of the proposed changes is not in doubt.

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