Russians turn their backs on Putin

Since the start of the week thousands of people have been demonstrating in several Russian cities in protest at the results of the parliamentary elections, which have been dogged by accusations of fraud. The online daily Ir feels the resistance will only grow because people have had enough of Putin's leadership: "It's already clear what the mood is in Russian society. The people have had enough of looking on as Putin strives to become top dog once more while trying to obscure with his macho image the fact that both the state and society are sinking ever deeper into corruption and despair. Putin's regime has feared that the democracy virus could infect Russia ever since the Rose Revolution in Georgia in 2003 and the Orange Revolution in Ukraine in 2004. That led Putin to announce openly in 2010 that 'there would be no Ukrainisation of political life in Russia'. Now, however, this danger is approaching, and the parliamentary elections have failed to bring about the hoped-for start to Putin's enthronement ceremony."

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