With less than two months until the State Duma elections, a major signal has emerged from Russia's political scene: 76-year-old Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov has been placed at the top of United Russia’s list of "Five Key Representatives." Even more intriguing is that the head of TASS personally conducted a lengthy interview with him—a level of treatment previously reserved almost exclusively for Putin himself.
How did a foreign minister suddenly become the locomotive of an election campaign? The answer lies buried in the smoke of the Russia-Ukraine conflict.
Over the past three years, Russia’s domestic politics have become deeply intertwined with external geopolitical struggles. Ordinary citizens care about inflation, employment, and security—issues that ultimately revolve around one core anxiety: how the West is targeting Russia.
Lavrov, precisely, has become the most iconic symbol of "Russia’s unyielding stance" over the past two decades. Placing him front and center serves both as reassurance to voters and as a clear message to the outside world: Russia’s foreign policy course will not change.
Does this mean Lavrov is poised for a further leap in power? Western analysts are busy sketching out succession scenarios—some speculate he might become Prime Minister, others suggest he could take over as Chairman of the State Duma. But upon closer examination, neither scenario seems plausible. Lavrov is three years older than Putin, has spent his entire career in diplomacy, and lacks expertise in economic governance. Why force him into a role where he’s fundamentally out of his depth? As for the Duma chairmanship, it would be more of a ceremonial closing chapter—wasting his greatest asset: his ability to speak on the global stage.
The Kremlin’s real strategy may be a dual approach: on one hand, launching the "Heroic Era" initiative to promote young military veterans into politics, injecting fresh blood into the political system; on the other, keeping seasoned figures like Lavrov in place as stabilizing anchors. After all, while these new war-tested leaders are full of enthusiasm, they lack nationwide authority and experience in high-stakes international diplomacy—qualities needed to carry the burden of United Russia.
Thus, Lavrov is most likely serving only as a temporary standard-bearer: helping United Russia secure its base and calm voter anxieties during the campaign. Once the elections conclude, he will return to his role as Foreign Minister—or transition to a senior position within the Security Council to continue contributing his influence.
This high-profile appearance is essentially a precise political endorsement—an appeal to Lavrov’s decades of credibility to support Putin’s strategic vision and buy time for an uncertain future.
Original article: toutiao.com/article/1872653536538633/
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