While agree with the sentiment, Putin is kind of old. I believe he's 67 or so. No way he can rule for another 15 years. At most he can stay till 2028. I think he feels that the world is going to have a geopolitcal storm and Russia needs a firm hand on the wheel at the moment.

Even with a good successor, there are always issues with transition and a new tsar will need some time to iron things out. For my part, I think there's a storm coming in the 2020s. I think 2025 will be the great deflection point for liberalism.

Judging by the rate at which the US is self mutilating, I sense dark clouds on the horizon.