Putin's Election Promises Could Cost $161Bln
28 February 2012
By Howard Amos
Prime Minister Vladimir Putin is on course to win next weekend's presidential election, but at what cost? About $161 billion, according to some estimates.

An Actress at the Center of a Political Firestorm
16 February 2012
By John Freedman
The appearance of a campaign video for Vladimir Putin made by the beloved actress Chulpan Khamatova has shaken the cultural world to its core.

Putin's Campaign Manager Calls Liberals 'Filth of the Nation'
14 February 2012
Vladimir Putin's campaign manager Stanislav Govorukhin quoted Soviet leader Vladimir Lenin in calling the liberal intelligentsia "the filth of the nation" in an interview published Monday

Putin Aide: Corruption Was 'Civilized'
13 February 2012
By Natalya Krainova
Corruption in Russia was "normal" and "civilized" during Vladimir Putin's first stint as president and support for him has grown stronger as a result of recent opposition rallies, the prime minister's campaign manager has boasted.

Putin Stand-In Faces Zhirinovsky Fire
08 February 2012
By Jonathan Earle
In Tuesday's second presidential debate of the campaign season, firebrand Vladimir Zhirinovsky harangued Prime Minister Vladimir Putin's levelheaded proxy over her patron's refusal to debate and alleged desire to rule for life.

Campaign Mudslinging Taken to New Lows
08 February 2012
By Nikolaus von Twickel
If politics is a dirty business, then Russia is no exception.

Pro-Putin Song Is Web Hit
08 February 2012
A schmaltzy music video hailing Prime Minister Vladimir Putin as Russia's savior became a hit on the Russian Internet on Tuesday, with many bloggers and YouTube users poking fun at the song's hyperbolic lyrics.

Putin Looks to Consolidate Working-Class Base
08 February 2012
The Associated Press
A tightly choreographed appearance at a factory 630 kilometers northwest of Moscow got top billing on all three Kremlin-controlled TV networks — and points to Vladimir Putin's campaign strategy as he tries to recapture the presidency in March.

Putin Article Advocates 'True Democracy'
07 February 2012
By Alexandra Odynova
Prime Minister Vladimir Putin published the fourth in a series of newspaper articles Monday, and in it, the odds-on favorite to win the presidency addresses the middle class and calls for "true democracy."

Campaign Begins With Testy Debate
07 February 2012
By Jonathan Earle
Communist Gennady Zyuganov and businessman Mikhail Prokhorov kicked off the presidential campaign season on Monday with a testy TV debate that centered on Zyuganov's political accomplishments and Prokhorov's connection to the chaotic 1990s.