Tens of thousands of Muscovites thronged to a city square to protest against alleged electoral fraud and against Russian Prime Minister Vladimir Putin and his party on Saturday, and demonstrators gathered in other rallies across the vast country, the largest public show of discontent in post-Soviet Russia.
The protests come three months before Putin, who was president in 2000-2008 and effectively remained the country's leader while prime minister, is to seek a third term in office. The public outpouring challenges his image, supported by state-controlled TV channels, as a man who won the affection of most Russians.
Spring doesn't come easily to Russia. I imagine the only question for Putin's coronation is the body count. Putin can live with that. He'd rather rely on fraud alone to win. But fraud and bullets will do just fine in a pinch. "Bloody peasants" is a descriptive term, too.
