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. In Tuesday's second presidential debate of the campaign season, firebrand...

... Actress at the Center of a Political Firestorm Putin Stand-In Takes Zhirinovsky Fire Campaign Mudslinging Taken to New Lows 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...

... public outcry has resulted in an openness for opposition voices not seen in years and a genuine feeling that change is in the air, the names on the ballot for the March 4 presidential vote and the expected outcome will not likely come as a surprise. As Vladimir Putin seeks to return to the presidency for the third time, he faces four officially sanctioned candidates. Three others tried to run but failed to get on the ballot. But with the air of uncertainty that has descended over the country, talk has...

... polls, with everybody who participates promised a free coffee on the day of the election. The chain also is not restricting votes to those with the legal right, so foreigners can vote in this election. Pictures of all five candidates, Prime Minister Vladimir Putin, Communist Party leader Gennady Zyuganov, Vladimir Zhirinovsky of the Liberal Democratic Party, A Just Russia's Sergei Mironov and independent billionaire Mikhail Prokhorov, are displayed in the restaurant for those who can't remember who...

... while talking with reporters after the meeting. Morozov said invitations had been sent to some popular leaders of public protests, like journalist Leonid Parfyonov and author Boris Akunin — representatives of a newly created league of voters. Vladimir Ryzhkov, co-founder of the liberal Parnas party, told Lenta.ru that he turned down his invitation because those who organized the debates from United Russia "cannot solve anything." Political expert Nikolai Zlobin told reporters Thursday...

A plan by Prime Minister Vladimir Putin's campaign team to persuade all five presidential hopefuls to sign a "social contract" guaranteeing the fairness and legitimacy of the March 4 election looked in tatters Monday when the last...

... Prokhorov a "boor," wrote on Twitter: "Unfortunately, Prokhorov and I were not able to have a normal conversation. He didn't discuss anything; he simply repeated worn-out phrases." Zyuganov and Prokhorov trail far behind Prime Minister Vladimir Putin in opinion polls ahead of the March 4 presidential vote. Putin is polling at 52 percent, Zyuganov and Liberal Democrat Vladimir Zhirinovsky at 8 percent, and A Just Russia's Sergei Mironov and Prokhorov at 4 percent, according to the results...

... by the legendary Joan of Arc of Russian liberalism, Valeria Novodvorskaya, titled "Have They All Gone Crazy?" The "they" refers to the liberal opposition, and in particular, opposition leaders Mikhail Kasyanov, Boris Nemtsov and Vladimir Ryzhkov. "Gone crazy" refers to their participation in the protest rallies. Komsomolskaya Pravda — whose editor-in-chief never tires of saying he "liked, likes and hopes to go on liking Prime Minister Vladimir Putin for a...

Vladimir Putin's elections campaign manager has cast new doubt on the continuance of the ruling tandem by suggesting that President Dmitry Medvedev should do more to support the prime minister's bid to return to the...

European election observers say presidential hopefuls running against Prime Minister Vladimir Putin face "biased" reports by Kremlin-controlled media and constant government pressure. Tiny Kox, who heads the Council of Europe mission to Russia, said Saturday that all four candidates complain that Putin's government is using...

..., bearded magician are seen at almost every protest, and the Russian blogosphere is filled with satirical diatribes painting him as an evil puppet master manipulating the electoral system from behind the scenes. Central Elections Commission chairman Vladimir Churov has grown weary of the criticism, and insists that he has been wrongly portrayed as a political mastermind when, in fact, he is just a civil servant filling a bureaucratic post. "I don't have political opponents. I am not a politician...

... tested practice to discredit politicians. Leaked e-mail is also proving to be a popular tool. Lastly, camera crews have started appearing outside embassies just when opposition leaders meet with Western diplomats. Prominent victims are Boris Nemtsov and Vladimir Ryzhkov of the unregistered Party of People's Freedom, who co-organized the recent mass anti-government protests. In December, Nemtsov was forced to apologize to ecology activist Yevgenia Chirikova, after the Kremlin-friendly Lifenews.ru tabloid...

Support among voters for presidential candidate Vladimir Putin has increased 5 percent over the last month and is now at 53 percent, according to the latest data released Friday by state-run pollster VTsIOM. Support among voters for presidential candidate Vladimir Putin has increased 5 percent over...

The state-run All-Russian Center for the Study of Public Opinion (VTsIOM) predicts presidential candidate Vladimir Putin will win the election in the first round of voting with 58.6 percent of the vote, a press release from the polling agency said Monday. The state-run All-Russian Center for the Study of Public Opinion (VTsIOM)...

Charges that Prime Minister Vladimir Putin and his United Russia party dominate the country's politics are unfair. Charges that Prime Minister Vladimir Putin and his United Russia party dominate the country's politics are unfair, State Duma officials told Europe's leading...

... "specialist on Orange Revolutions" and said his appointment to Moscow was no accident. Isaev also accused American political scientists of proposing the white ribbons and flags that have become a symbol of the opposition. Liberal Democratic Party leader Vladimir Zhirinovsky joined Isaev on Tuesday in his criticism of the Duma members who met with McFaul, saying they should have to give up their mandates, Interfax reported. 179742

... presidential election, RIA-Novosti reported. As an independent candidate, Prokhorov had to submit more than 2 million signatures from supporters to be included on the ballot. Prokhorov is the fifth candidate to qualify for the ballot, joining Prime Minister Vladimir Putin, Gennady Zyuganov of the Communist Party, Sergei Mironov of the A Just Russia party and Vladimir Zhirinovsky of the Liberal Democratic Party. The ballot has now been finalized and will include only those five candidates, RIA-Novosti reported...

What do U.S. President Barack Obama and Prime Minister Vladimir Putin have in common? They are both fortunate in their presidential opponents. What do U.S. President Barack Obama and Prime Minister Vladimir Putin have in common? They are both fortunate in their presidential opponents. Despite...

In the world of gambling, Russia's presidential election is turning into a sucker's bet. In the world of gambling, Russia's presidential election is turning into a sucker's bet. Although public favor has soured against frontrunner Vladimir Putin and the political landscape feels more open than it has in years, British bookmakers say the odds that anyone will defeat him at the polls rest somewhere between slim and none. As opposition leaders prepare for a third major rally against...

... announced his candidacy, could lure voters away from other liberal candidates, but it is unlikely to dispel suspicions about the independence of the Kremlin-linked businessman, whom the latest polls show lagging far behind the favorite, Prime Minister Vladimir Putin. Prokhorov's manifesto, titled "Present and Future," begins by saying, "The well-being of the individual has never been the Russian government's priority," and consists of a series of comparisons between Prokhorov's...