Will Russian warlord challenge Putin in 2024 presidential election?

Yevgeny Prigozhin, the head of the Russian based Wagner mercenary group and close ally of Vladimir Putin, is seen as a potential presidential candidate if Putin decides to stand down from office.

Rebekah Koffler is the president of Doctrine & Strategy Consulting, a former DIA intelligence officer, and the author of  "Putin’s Playbook: Russia’s Secret Plan to Defeat America." Follow her on Twitter @Rebekah0132.

On February 1st, Russia's state news agency, Interfax, carried a piece titled "Yevgeny Prigozhin, for the first time, joined the list of top ten media personalities, based on January polls." The article stated that Russian President Vladimir Putin remained the top person mentioned in the Russian media, having received "218,374 links" in the Russian press. It also claimed that Prigozhin "entered" the top ten list, having received 22,524 links. Ukraine’s President, Volodymyr Zelenskyy, held the second place, followed by Putin’s press secretary Dmitry Peskov who was third. President Biden was fourth. While several other top personalities in Putin’s regime remained on the list, Russian Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu dropped off the top 10.