Interestingly, Putin may have sealed his
own fate years ago by establishing a legal precedent for his own
ouster. Shortly after Yeltsin transferred temporary presidential
responsibilities to Putin on December 31, 1999, Putin issued
Presidential Decree 1763, granting Yeltsin and his family lifelong
immunity from criminal prosecution, administrative sanction, arrest,
detention, and interrogation. If push comes to shove, it's not
far-fetched to imagine Medvedev offering the very same arrangement to
Putin.