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Newly Assertive Medvedev Takes Swipe at Putin

Russian president, once seen as a puppet, castigates his mentor

By Jason Farago,  Newser Staff

Posted Jan 12, 2009 8:21 AM CST

(Newser) – Dmitry Medvedev publicly rebuked the government of Vladimir Putin yesterday for its handling of the country's severe economic crisis, in yet another sign that the Russian president is becoming increasingly independent. At a factory outside Moscow, Medvedev said the rescue was moving "more slowly than the current situation demands." It's yet another sign of assertiveness from Medvedev, who once seemed happy to play second fiddle to Putin.

Medvedev's earlier attempts to assert power were thwarted by Putin allies who remain inside the Kremlin, the Financial Times reports. But in comments last month that were interpreted as a signal to Putin, Medvedev insisted that he, and not Putin, was Russia's supreme leader. "The final responsibility for what happens in the country and for the important decisions taken," he said, "rest on my shoulders alone."

Russian President Dmitry Medvedev, left, and Prime Minister Vladimir Putin ski at a slope outside the Black Sea resort of Sochi, southern Russia, Sunday, Jan. 4, 2009.
Russian President Dmitry Medvedev, left, and Prime Minister Vladimir Putin ski at a slope outside the Black Sea resort of Sochi, southern Russia, Sunday, Jan. 4, 2009.   (AP Photo/RIA-Novosti, Alexei Nikolsky, Pool)
Russian President Dmitry Medvedev, Prime Minister Vladimir Putin, and Chairman of the Parliament Upper House Sergei Mironov during a meeting at the Kremlin in Moscow, Thursday, Dec. 25, 2008.
Russian President Dmitry Medvedev, Prime Minister Vladimir Putin, and Chairman of the Parliament Upper House Sergei Mironov during a meeting at the Kremlin in Moscow, Thursday, Dec. 25, 2008.   (AP Photo/RIA-Novosti, Mikhail Klimentyev, Presidential Press Service)
Dmitry Medvedev tours an airplane engine factory, Moscow, Sunday, Jan. 11, 2009, with Mayor Yuri Luzhkov. Medvedev tweaked Vladimir Putin, saying his Cabinet has dragged its feet on the economy.
Dmitry Medvedev tours an airplane engine factory, Moscow, Sunday, Jan. 11, 2009, with Mayor Yuri Luzhkov. Medvedev tweaked Vladimir Putin, saying his Cabinet has dragged its feet on the economy.   (AP Photo/RIA-Novosti, Mikhail Klimentyev, Presidential Press Service)
Russian President Dmitry Medvedev works at his study in Gorki presidential residence, just outside Moscow, Sunday, Jan. 11, 2009, just before a meeting with Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov.
Russian President Dmitry Medvedev works at his study in Gorki presidential residence, just outside Moscow, Sunday, Jan. 11, 2009, just before a meeting with Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov.   (AP Photo/RIA-Novosti, Mikhail Klimentyev, Presidential Press Service)
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COMMENTS
Showing 1 of 1 comment
Newser001
Jan 12, 2009 1:32 AM CST
You have to seriously respect Medvedev for having the courage to stand up to Putin. The Kremlin is a mess, filled with Putin's people... But Medvedev is correct, the buck stops with him, and it is time for him to take the true reins of responsibility. Now the question - how do you displace / dislodge the demagogue Putin so represents to his people? Russia is still evolving, yet its power and abuses remain unbelievably authoritarian, at best.

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