President Putin photographed with a criminal authority

A scandal, connected with the Russian President Vladimir Putin, is stirring up in the Russian city of Perm. The Perm citizens received a regular issue of the Vechernaya Perm newspaper (Evening Perm) on January 31. There was a big photograph on the front page of the newspaper, depicting Vladimir Putin, standing close to the well known Perm businessman and criminal authority Vladimir Plotnikov (known for his nickname Plot). The leaders of five public organizations of the city sent a letter to the president, in which it was in particular said: “It is hard to believe your words after such photographs, when you say that you want to put an end to corruption, struggle with the organized crime and establish “the dictatorship of law” in the country.” The representatives of the public organizations of Perm asked the head of the sate to be more cautious in the selection of his milieu, even if it is momentary.

Translated by Dmitry Sudakov