Putin versus the “family.” Who rules Russia?

Today’s stage of Russia’s development could be characterized with serious aggravation of the fight on the political Mount Olympus. “Now that the people who earlier belonged to Yeltsin's so-caled team are being punished ” – State Duma deputy (Union of Right Forces faction) Sergei Yushenkov said during his interview with Ekho Moskvy radio. In this way, Sergei Yushenkov commented on the information regarding the examination of Alexandr Voloshin’s work that is being carried out by the Public Prosecutor General’s Office. Yushenkov did not excluded that, afterwards, Kasyanov, Chubais and others will be examined.

Voloshin, the head of Presidential administration, is one of the closest persons to ex-president Boris Yeltsin, the most influential lobbyist of “Yeltsin’s family” at the upper level. According to Public Prosecutor General Vladimir Ustinov, at the moment, the commercial activity of Voloshin is being investigated. At the beginning of 1990s, he made money on privatizing Soviet state property.

Putin’s words about a full-scale fight against corruption seem to be realized. For example, the resent resignation of Communication Minister Nikolai Aksenenko, or take the Sibur company’s case. The work of Alexandr Orlov, the aid of ex-Internal Minister Vladimir Rushailo, also being investigated. Look at the case of Grigori Pasko. This enumeration could be continued. Financial magnates Gusinski and Berezovski escaped abroad, while they hope to restore the 1991-1999 regime in Russia and sponsore an anti-Putin campaign in the mass media.

Remember, at the end of 2001 was marked with a noticeable event for Russia: on December 24, millions of Russians were able to participate in a TV link: Putin’s press-conference, which was directly translated by leading Russian TV channels. People of different regions of Russia asked questions before TV cameras, by telephone, or through the Internet. Was it really a PR action, a “well prepared spectacle,” a “great show," as some mass media tried to present it later? According to the St Petersburg agency Russkaya Linia, the press-conference was necessary first of all to put “pressure upon Putin’s political opponents.” It was a political attack. “In his press-conference, Putin showed that, politically, he is much more real than Yeltsin and Berezovski.”

Indeed, Putin showed it visually: he is supported by people. People trust him as they never trusted Yeltstin’s reformers. Putin is considered legitimate by people, but not by Yeltsin. And such person cannot be simply removed from the political scene.

As a reciprocal action, on December 29, Nikilai Svanidze’s Zerkalo program on the RTR TV channel was broadcasted, to which Boris Yeltsin was invited. According to Yeltsin, Putin consults with him and his people in all questions and decides nothing on his own. Yelstin complimented Putin for carrying out friendly policy towards the West and the US and for avoiding confrontation. According to Russkaya Linia, it was nothing but an attempt to discredit the Kremlin’s policy in the population’s opinion (and, it should be added, to show to whom the real power in the country belongs). The “family” stakes on today’s prime minister, Mikhail Kasyanov, an authoritative politician, and sees in him as a pre-term successor of Putin. They will try to create a powerful anti-Putin coalition of politicians who do not want to participate with consolidation of the vertical state power structure. Taking into account all the described political realities, giving up Russian positions on the stage of foreign policy could be explained, in particular, in Central Asia. The reason is that Putin’s arms are bound.

Anyway, there should be hope. However, now, the technologies of mind control by the powers that be have reached an unusually sophisticated level. Sergei Yugov PRAVDA.Ru

Translated by Vera Solovieva

Read the original in Russian: http://www.pravda.ru/main/2002/01/16/35591.html