Russian fires endanger Putin

The forest fires are still raging in Russia and a toxic cloud of smoke is hanging over Moscow. Meanwhile Russian authorities have declared a state of emergency in the area surrounding a nuclear waste reprocessing plant in the Ural region. The flames pose a threat to much more than just the country, writes the liberal-conservative daily Corriere della Sera: "During the Soviet era and also under Boris Yeltsin's presidency, situations of this type ... were resolved with the prime minister's removal from office. This is no longer possible nowadays because all power lies in the hands of the prime minister. ... Vladimir Putin makes few mistakes and he knows only too well what kind of leadership the Russians like: a 'strong man' who ... ensures order and stability and has an inherent ability to overcome any and every danger. ... But it doesn't hurt to recognise, even standing beside the fire fighters, that the flames could destroy not just forests but many other things too."

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