August 30, 2015. Vladimir Putin (R) and Dmitry Medvedev during a workout at the Bocharov Ruchei residence in Sochi. © Ekaterina Shtukina / RIA Novosti
The corruption allegations that led to street protests add to the air of disappointment surrounding the country’s prime minister.
The street protests that swept Russian cities over the weekend were remarkable not just for their unusually large size, but also for their main target: Dmitry Medvedev.
After an investigation by the anti-corruption campaigner and opposition politician Alexei Navalny alleged a network of palaces and vineyards linked to Medvedev, the prime minister has become the focal point of the protests. Angry Russians carried rubber ducks, a mocking reference to a shelter for ducks found on one of his alleged properties.
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WNU Editor: First things first .... I first met Dmitry Medvedev when he was the Kremlin Chief of Staff around 2004 .... and I supported him in his 2008 Presidential bid. His appeal to me was that he was a reformer who wanted to impose a just and proper legal system in Russia .... and at the beginning he started to do just that. But after one year in office he changed .... and all the reforms that he had promised were then ignored. We now know today that he has accumulated billions in wealth through shell companies and loyal friends .... and yes .... he has become the poster child on what is wrong with Russia today. Will Russian President Putin still keep him as his Prime Minister .... for the moment yes. But if the anti-corruption movement builds up steam in the coming year .... Putin will cut him loose.