Putin Back

Not so sure Reebok is back.  Definitly sure Putin is.

(NY Times) In the lustrous, vaulted throne room of the czars who came before him, Vladimir V. Putin on Monday reclaimed the Russian presidency. A 30-gun salute cracked over the eerie quiet of the city, and Russia’s defense minister returned to Mr. Putin the black suitcase that contains the controls to a vast nuclear arsenal.

Outside the Kremlin walls, Mr. Putin announced his return in another way. The police swept boulevards and squares, detaining anyone they saw wearing white ribbons, the symbol adopted by anti-Putin activists.

Riot police officers in camouflage charged into cafes and restaurants in search of protesters, in one spot sending cups and glasses flying. Once in police custody, scores of young men were referred to military draft offices.

The clampdown underlined the challenge ahead for Mr. Putin, who even as the sweeps were taking place promised to expand Russians’ rights and freedoms, as well as their direct participation in government.

Though he handily won the presidential election in March, Mr. Putin, 59, faces a rising generation with no recollection of the Soviet system that shaped his worldview. They do not fear the state, and they are apparently prepared to fight for power from below, said Alexander Rahr, a Russia expert with the German Council on Foreign Relations.

“He is caught in the understanding that he is the savior of Russia, that everything depends on him,” Mr. Rahr said. “He sees himself as a historical figure already, a man who prevented the collapse of the country. The problem is, now he has to meet the real demands of people who are 30 years younger than him.”