[imported_Fluffy_Bunny]

WTF is going on in russia? Putins locked up or killed a leading businessman and another guy who was going to run against him in elections had to flee to the UK. Now he's dismissed his entire government wtf. eek:

Russian government dismissed

Dismissing his government during a live television broadcast, President Vladimir Putin has surprised both Russia and the international community.

Critics suggest that this is a pre-emptive strike designed to allow Putin to consolidate his overwhelming grip on power by installing a group of hardline loyalists ahead of the March presidential election.

Although the fall of Russian Prime Minister Mikhail Kasyanov has been widely predicted, the timing of his dismissal - along with that of his cabinet - a few weeks before the presidential election was unexpected.

Kasyanov has been an uncharismatic figure throughout his four years in office and his political reliability has been questioned since he publicly expressed his concerns in December about the political implications of the arrest of top businessmen such as Mikhail Khodorkovsky, the former boss of oil giant Yukos. JID sources in Moscow also suggest that Putin is keen to pass the blame for recent suicide bomb attacks in Russia including the incident on the Moscow metro earlier this month that left 41 dead to the outgoing government ahead of the presidential election.

The administration that is expected to be installed following the election is likely to be dominated by Soviet-era KGB and security service officials close to the president.