Putin can no longer fool Russians

That the Russian oligarch Mikhail Prokhorov plans to challenge Vladimir Putin in the presidential elections in March 2012 is only a diversionary tactic of the government in reaction to the protests against the parliamentary elections, the liberal daily Aamulehti writes: "The presidential candidacy of Mikhail Prokhorov is another Kremlin plot. This oligarch who until now was little known to the Russian people has materialised out of the blue as Putin's 'rival'. The idea is that he will help to soothe the angered citizens. Another project is the founding of a new party for discontented city dwellers. The Kremlin has created its own pet 'opposition parties' in the past. Former finance minister Alexei Kudrin has announced that he is considering founding a new party. But the climate in Russia is so critical at the moment that the citizens are able to recognise these attempts to deceive them for what they are."

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