Despite growing tensions and cashflow problems, Russia is unlikely to change course in 2019

WIth discontent rumbling, the year ahead is unlikely to get any easier for Vladimir Putin, but his system has plenty left in reserve, says Oliver Carroll

Putin’s Russia will continue to position itself as a disruptive force (AP)

The year just gone has been a rollercoaster one for Vladimir Putin.

It was not without its sweet moments. In March, he swept to victory in an impressively managed election – securing, just as impressively, a high turnout in the absence of any contest.

In the summer, he oversaw a well-received World Cup, recruiting hundreds of thousands of new foreign ambassadors to Russia’s cause.