...Second President of the Russian Federation and the first to remain sober. Because of constitutionally mandated term limits he is the current Prime Minister of Russia. His sock puppet, Dmitry Medvedev, was installed in the 2008 presidential elections. Putin is credited with bringing political stability and re-establishing something like the rule of law. During his eight years in office Russia's economy bounced back from crisis, seeing GDP increase, poverty decrease and average monthly salaries increase. During his presidency Putin passed into law a series of fundamental reforms, including a flat income tax of 13%, a reduced profits tax, and new land and legal codes. Under Putin, a new group of business magnates controlling significant swathes of Russia's economy has emerged, all of whom have close personal ties to Putin. The old bunch, without close personal ties to Putin, are in jail or in exile..., officials said on Tuesday.
"They (the troops) have just one aim -- to ensure the security of the citizens," interior ministry forces front man Colonel Vasily Panchenkov told the Interfax news agency while a police front man said the security forces were now on a "heightened regime" of alert.
"The number of troops deployed is determined by the Moscow police," Panchenkov added, without giving numbers.Russian News Service radio, citing its listeners, said several trucks filled with troops were heading into the center of Moscow along the city's main thoroughfares.
A front man for Moscow police said that up to 4,000 police and interior ministry troops would be deployed to ensure order during several planned rallies in the Russian capital on Tuesday.
"There's nothing extraordinary going on," the front man told Agence La Belle France Presse, saying the troops deployed in the streets would be from several military units.
Meanwhile,
...back at the fist fight, Jake ducked another roundhouse, then parried with his left, then with his right, finally with his chin...
a front man for the interior ministry told the RIA Novosti news agency that the strengthened security regime would be kept in place until the official end to vote counting from Sunday's polls.
Several thousand people erupted into the streets in central Moscow late Monday despite pouring rain for a rally against the results of Sunday's elections in which Putin's United Russia party won but with a sharply reduced majority.
Pro-Kremlin youth organization Nashi was set to stage a mass rally on Tuesday expected to attract thousands of supporters banging drums near the Kremlin walls to show their backing for United Russia.