> BS. The only way Putin will leave power is feet first... <
I think you’re right. Retired dictators usually don’t fair so well. Too many folks have scores to settle.
Khrushchev was an exception, kind of. After he was ousted, he became “pensioner Khrushchev“, and the new regime pretty much left him alone. He did, however, become a non-person. He was not allowed to attend state events, and mention of him was removed from most books.
Khrushchev basically emptied the Gulags and allowed deported nationals to return, except Tatars and Germans... understandable. He was well like in the USSR.
Khrushchev wasn't ruthless enough so the party didn't feel threatened by him. He was sort of like Gorbachev but he didn't want to change the status quo. Gorbachev knew that the status quo was failing so he attempted to overhaul it and the rest is history.