Sobyanin has featured in lists of Putin’s successors for some time, partly as a result of Sobyanin’s ability to toe whatever lines Putin sets on key aspects of Russia’s internal policies, while staying mum on trickier external policies (Russia’s war in Ukraine being one exception).

Our analysis of GOP primary candidates' public statements about the Russian-Ukrainian war revealed that even as Republican voters' opinions change, these candidates tend to stand their ground on whether and how the U.S. should continue to support Kyiv.