MOSCOW — Nobody knows what’s going on inside the Kremlin right now. And perhaps that’s precisely the point.

President Vladimir V. Putin announced constitutional changes last week that could create new avenues for him to rule Russia for the rest of his life.

But will they? How? And will he?

Mr. Putin’s new prime minister announced his roster of ministers on Tuesday, with the most prominent officials keeping their posts. Yet as more details of what appears to be Russia’s biggest governmental overhaul in a decade trickle out, the true nature of Mr. Putin’s long-term plan — and whether he even has one — is shrouded in mystery.

Ever since his opening salvo at the end of his annual state-of-the-nation speech last Wednesday, nearly every day has brought news of high-level resignations, unexpected appointments and cryptic new legislation. Decoding these clues — and arguing over whether one should even try — has thrown the international cottage industry of Kremlin experts into a contradictory cacophony of prediction and interpretation.