By Aleksandr Tsipko Not so long ago it seemed that Putin's hardest task would be to put an end to the governors' free reign. The elected regional leaders are backed by a population which supported them in the elections, and commercial structures created with their... MORE

By V.A. Mironov "WHAT WAS BEFORE WILL BE AGAIN..." For several months, the federal and regional elites were marking time. First they were hypnotized by the unpredictability of the parliamentary elections, then the presidential elections, then they were waiting for the new head of state... MORE

By Elizabeth Teague Vladimir Putin's election as president of Russia on March 26 seemed a foregone conclusion. Only a year before, it had been anything but. At that time, Prime Minister Yevgeny Primakov had been the favorite to succeed Boris Yeltsin as president. Also spoken... MORE

By Elena Dikun Everyone thought that right after the elections--or at least after his inauguration--newly elected Vladimir Putin would start taking some decisive action. First he would turn Boris Yeltsin's entourage--the so-called "family"--out of the Kremlin, and bring in untainted new recruits. But alas, the... MORE

By Igor Rotar "The only problem is your nationality. The Chechens may have left journalists alone during the last war, but today people see any Russian as their enemy. It's not even the paramilitaries who are dangerous--it's the young lads who will kill you just... MORE

By A.I. Kolganov THE COMPONENTS OF THE FAVORABLE CLIMATE For more than two years now, Russia has seen growth in all the major economic indicators. Most analysts ascribe this to two factors. The first is the increase in world prices for the goods which Russia... MORE

By Elena Dikun THE FRUITS OF VICTORY--NOT ENOUGH TO GO ROUND The week after the presidential election was one big party for the Kremlin administration. They celebrated Vladimir Putin's victory at Alexander House on Yakimanka street (his election campaign headquarters), where they made merry until... MORE

By Nabi Abdullaev Vladimir Putin won 81 percent of the votes in Dagestan, Russia's southernmost republic. It was one of the highest results among the Russian regions. To a great extent, this result was achieved thanks to the openly biased position of the republican state... MORE

By Elena Chinyaeva On April 1, the respectable Russian newspaper Kommersant daily came out with an editorial which would have been a sensation on any other day: It said that in the presidential elections, which took place on March 26, Vladimir Putin garnered neither 52,5... MORE

By A.V. Buzgalin HOW PUTIN ACHIEVED HIS POPULARITY A victory for Vladimir Putin in the presidential election seemed to be on the cards back in November 1999, before Boris Yeltsin resigned, when the elections were still planned for June 2000. A young, energetic and decisive... MORE