The consensus inside Russia is that Putin now already doesn't hold much of the real power (he used to be a final arbiter between the warring factions), and is k

The consensus inside Russia is that Putin now already doesn't hold much of the real power (he used to be a final arbiter between the warring factions), and is kept around as the symbolic figure of authority. From what I see, somebody from the same faction (state security apparatus) will replace Putin, and everything will be more or less the same. Or not -- it is Russia, we are famous for being unpredictable.