>>512279464
>Honestly I'm not sure how exactly Putin managed to do it without getting assassinated. Probably his KGB experience helped a lot.
I think it was down to the traditions of the KGB (them being primarily patriotic and loyal to each other) combined with Putins large network and reputation.

Remember that he is the one who was spearheading the second Chechen war as PM under Yeltsin and acting chief of the FSB.
So he was already popular among the intelligence community as well as the armed forces (and people), assassinating someone like that would be very difficult and would guarantee a painful death for whoever ordered it.
And up until that point where he was president, all of the oligarchs (almost) thought he was in their pocket after he saved Yeltsins campaign (by validating a sex tape that may or may not have been true of the main political opponent).

He outplayed them all, and they only realized once it was too late.

In the US there are no candidates to even be close to this.
Tulsi Gabbard probably has the best chance, but that in itself shows what a cruel joke the US prospects are.