Vladimir Putin and the Kremlin seem to have staked their futures on Putin’s victory in the first round of the presidential elections and are working to remove any possible opponents who might be able to appeal to Putin’s electoral base.

Vladimir Putin’s article in the Izvestia daily demonstrates both his anxiety over the recent protests and his inability to recognize how significantly Russian society is changing.

Russian liberals, like many of their counterparts across Russian society, need to set aside their patronizing attitude toward Ukraine and their longing for the historical might of the Soviet Union.