For now, the Kremlin is desperately spending down the hundreds of billions of dollars in reserves that it put away in good times, all the while trying to quell comparisons to Russia’s economic meltdown in 1998, when the government, under Boris Yeltsin, defaulted on its debt. Mr. Putin, the current prime minister and former president, and his protégé, President Dmitri A. Medvedev, try to assure the public that they are addressing its pain. Yet Mr. Putin has created a government so highly centralized and so resistant to criticism that it is unclear whether it can respond adeptly to rising dissatisfaction.
http://www.nytimes.com/2009/02/01/we...r=1&ref=europe

Protesters rallied in several Russian cities at the weekend against a worsening economy and deteriorating human rights situation – a sign that Russia’s financial crisis might yet challenge the Kremlin’s hold on political stability.

Numbers were sparse at some of the events – which organisers called a national day of protest – as temperatures plunged to -15ºC in Moscow. Authorities, however, seem aware that the turnout could swell if the economic situation does not improve by the March thaws.
http://www.ft.com/cms/s/0/ada0dca8-f...0779fd2ac.html

The Kremlin's rule is beginning to look much shakier than at any time since Vladimir Putin came to power, after a series of protests in cities across its vast landmass this weekend by Russians disgruntled about the economy. And as the country starts to feel the effects of the global credit crunch, there are also signs of a growing rift between Prime Minister Putin, and his hand-picked successor as President, Dmitry Medvedev.
http://www.independent.co.uk/news/wo...s-1522983.html