If Ukraine takes out Putin, what happens next when he’s gone?

Russian officials say that the several drones that intercepted over the Kremlin in recent days were attempts to assassinate President Vladimir Putin. The drones were shot down by Russian air defenses, according to officials in Moscow, who said Putin was not there at the time.

In response, the Kremlin, which accused the U.S. and Kyiv of orchestrating the event, said Russia “reserves the right to take retaliatory measures when and where it considers necessary.”

However, both countries deny any involvement.

This escalation has raised questions about what would happen if Putin were to die. According to the Russian Constitution, if Putin resigns, dies or is removed from office, the prime minister would assume the duties of acting president. In this case, that would be the current Prime Minister Mikhail Mishustin, a man not seen as being particularly close to Putin, nor a credible candidate for any election, Aljazeera reports.

A quick shift in leadership is not necessarily a simple process, and some experts say Russia could experience a power vacuum.

Putin is the embodiment of the old Russian concept of the Silnaya Ruka, the iron fist, 19fortyfive reports. This is a belief shared among Russians since the earliest days of Russia that their country needs a strong, central authority —and autocrat — to keep their country strong and united, the report added.

Analysts have said a disruption to the central authority, that many Russians view as essential, could put the country in an unpredictable position, specifically with respect to its massive arsenal of nuclear and chemical weapons.

“Suddenly, Russia looks a lot like the Greater Middle East, and the West is in a constant state of fear over who would control Russia’s massive arsenal of weapons of mass destruction,” the 19fortyfive report added.

Putin has been at Russia’s helm for more than 20 years, leading the nation from 2000 to 2008, and again from 2012 to the present.

Meanwhile, as Russia brands the recent alleged drone attacks acts of terrorism, some officials have said it could all be a false flag and a mere pretext for Russia to justify a crushing response.

According to The Associated Press, the purported drone attack would be a significant escalation in the 14-month conflict, with Ukraine taking the war to the heart of Russian power.