Russian President Vladimir Putin is reportedly grooming his ex-bodyguard, a military hero, as his heir apparent, media reports said on Saturday.
The man for the hot seat is apparently the governor of Tula region, Alexei Dyumin, who had reportedly won many military laurels in the past.
The 43-year-old is a former bodyguard and Putin’s trusted aide-de-camp, the Mail Online reported.
According to the report, Dyumin had commanded the Special Operations Forces of the Russian Army which played a pivotal role in seizing Crimea from Ukraine.
Putin had awarded him the Hero of Russia honour for courage.
The report further said that he was made the deputy defence minister two months ago before making him the governor of the Tula region.
Dyumin’s sudden fast tracking to become governor of strategically important Tula is seen as a bid by Putin to give him political experience running a region ahead of another meteoric promotion, the report said.