Publication

This commentary discusses disputes between the Kremlin and Vladimir Putin’s inner circle on one side, and the government and Prime Minister Medvedev on the other. The Kremlin, which is still the main decision-making center in Russia, has been effectively forcing its opinions through in its short-term disputes with the government. However, a new element in the ongoing conflicts, which is unfavorable to President Putin, is their exceptional strength, their much more public nature, their wide range and ever-changing context, especially the worsening socio-economic situation.