Putin surrounds himself with aging generals, shutting out younger voices

Officials and military figures from the circle of Russian dictator Vladimir Putin have visibly aged — the head of the Russian General Staff Valery Gerasimov is already 70, but the dictator is in no hurry to dismiss him.

The Times recalled that Valery Gerasimov has headed the Russian General Staff for 13 years — the longest in history since the times of Tsarist Russia (1547-1917). Despite the anniversary, Putin showed no public honors or signs of personal respect, limiting himself to awarding an order.

As noted by Dara Massicot, a senior fellow at the Carnegie Endowment, this silence looks atypical, since in the Russian army respected generals are usually publicly congratulated and even given nicknames. At the same time, the Pentagon once noted that Gerasimov had authority within Putin’s circle.

Publication noted that the recent flight of Russian drones over Poland fits into the strategy of controlled pressure on Europe, which Gerasimov adheres to. The author cited a NATO representative who called the incident “both reckless and cautious at the same time,” since the Russians are constantly testing how far they can go.

Meanwhile, attitudes toward Gerasimov in the Russian army are visibly changing: on his 70th birthday, on military forums and social networks he was called “the gravedigger of the army” and “the main idiot,” - along with the International Criminal Court warrant in The Hague being mentioned, with hints that that’s where he belongs.

Gerasimov unquestioningly carries out all Putin’s orders and does not defend soldiers’ positions in the Kremlin. He did not object to the full-scale invasion of Ukraine either, heading the “brutal force” strategy that was supposedly meant to force Kyiv to make concessions, but has already cost Russia catastrophic losses — over a million dead and wounded, elite units destroyed, and most of its tanks lost, the journalists added.

The Times emphasized that criticism of Gerasimov reflects deeper tensions within the Kremlin’s system of power. Putin, now 72, has isolated himself and surrounds himself with old cadres, while younger leaders are rarely involved.

The journalist recalled that Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov, at 75, has long wanted to retire but remains in office. The security bloc is also controlled by men of retirement age — from 73-year-old FSB director Alexander Bortnikov to 71-year-old head of the Russian National Guard Viktor Zolotov.

In contrast, representatives of the younger generation in power are few: Prime Minister Mikhail Mishustin is 59, First Deputy Prime Minister Denis Manturov — 56, Finance Minister Anton Siluanov — 62, Central Bank head Elvira Nabiullina — 61, and the youngest among them is Industry Minister Anton Alikhanov, who is 38.

“Unlike Putin’s generation, these people are not relics of the Soviet era who still mourn the days of superpower status," The Times concluded.

"They are also concerned with the long-term perspective, seeing the economy sink into stagnation and the country at risk of becoming a vassal of China.”