Putin has Faced and Put Down Three Moves He Viewed as Signs of Conspiracies Against Him, ‘Proyekt’ Says

Paul Goble

            Staunton, June 9 – According to research carried out by journalists at Proyekt, Vladimir Putin during his time in power has been confronted by three moves he viewed as signs of conspiracies against him and successfully put them down and thus reinforcing his own position in office.

            The first of these events occurred when then Prime Minister Mikhail Kasyanov spoke in defense of Mikhail Khodorkovsky. Putin fired not only him but his entire government and Kasyanov went into the ranks of the non-systemic opposition  (proekt.media/film/zagovory-protiv-putina/ and sibreal.org/a/proekt-vladimir-putin-v-hode-svoego-pravleniya-predotvratil-tri-zagovora/32451855.html).

            The second took place when Moscow Mayor Yury Luzhkov, deputy Presidential Administration head Igor Sechin and a group of others discussed a transition in Russia. Putin heard about it and sidelined some of the participants or reduced the powers of those he did not fire.

            And the third occurred in 2012 when Putin angered by Dmitry Medvedev’s decisions told the latter that he was returning to the presidency but would hand that office back to Medvedev in six years. In the event, Putin didn’t do that but sought another term, effectively gelding Medvedev as a political figure.

            Perhaps significantly, these three challenges came some time ago, a possible indication that fewer people in the Russian elite are prepared to take the risks of challenging Putin or that at the very least almost no one is going to take that action in ways that will attract the Kremlin leader’s attention and wrath.