Kansas Bear

MOSCOW (AP) - President Vladimir Putin dissolved Russia's government Wednesday in a major political shakeup ahead of parliamentary and presidential elections, the Kremlin said.

The dissolution is expected to result in a new prime minister, who will be seen as Putin's choice to succeed him after he steps down next spring.

The newspaper Vedomosti, citing unidentified Kremlin officials, reported that Sergei Ivanov, a first deputy prime minister and a leading contender to succeed Putin, could be appointed to replace Prime Minister Mikhail Fradkov.

Another first deputy prime minister, Dmitry Medvedev, who is a top executive at natural gas monopoly OAO Gazprom, is considered the other leading contender.

Under the constitution, Putin has two weeks to propose a new head of government, which the lower house of parliament, the State Duma, then has a week to vote on. Russian news agencies said Fradkov would serve as acting prime minister until the vote.

Fradkov said he asked for the dissolution of the government because with elections approaching, Putin needed to have a free hand to make decisions, including those concerning appointments.

Parliamentary elections are scheduled for Dec. 2, followed some three months later by presidential balloting.

"You might be right that we must all think about how to structure the government so that it better suits the pre-election period and prepares the country for what will happen after the parliamentary and presidential elections," Putin said.

My Way News - Putin Dissolves Russian Government

Kansas Bear

Russian ex-spies flex their muscles
This week Russian communists laid flowers at the tomb of Soviet secret police founder Felix Dzerzhinsky, on the 130th anniversary of his birth.
The BBC's James Rodgers in Moscow examines the enduring influence of the secret police in the era of President Vladimir Putin - himself a former KGB officer.


Dzerzhinsky set up a secret police force that once terrorised Russia

Communist-era secret police became hate figures across much of the Soviet bloc during the Cold War.

When those regimes unravelled in the late 1980s and early 1990s, people celebrated their demise. Archives were opened, informers were exposed, former dissidents became presidents.

But in Russia, things turned out differently.

After a decade of unpredictable change - in which jobs, savings, and many of the certainties which had come with communism simply disappeared - Russians looked for another solution.

In March 2000, they turned not to a dissident writer or activist. They elected a former KGB officer to lead the country.

As he prepares to leave office next spring, Vladimir Putin enjoys popularity ratings his predecessors could never have dreamed of.

His KGB past has proved no obstacle to widespread support among the population.

Soviet iron fist

The secret police under one name or another were a hugely influential force in Russia throughout the Soviet period.

Working in intelligence you need to be informed about a lot of things and you need to be able to work with people and respect your partners

President Vladimir Putin

They began as the "Cheka" - from the Russian letters standing for "Extraordinary Commission". In that incarnation, they gave the Russian language the word "Chekist".

The ties of loyalty which agents develop are supposed to last for life. As the saying goes, "there's no such thing as a former Chekist".

KGB veterans may add: "there are only traitors".

Many of Mr Putin's former fellow officers have prospered during his tenure.

They are known in Russian today as the siloviki. The name comes from the Russian word sila, meaning "strength" or "power".

Privileged elite

In Soviet times, those who joined the KGB's ranks were in a position of privilege. They were considered reliable enough to see and hear things which the Soviet regime kept from the majority of the population.


Mr Ivanov and Mr Putin, both ex-KGB, are close associates
Foreign travel was a rare opportunity. It gave those lucky enough to get it an experience denied to their follow citizens. They gained an understanding of the world as it really was, not just as it appeared in the Soviet media.

They served under the guise of diplomats, journalists and members of trade delegations. Top-quality language tuition had equipped them for intelligence-gathering.

Their varied experience and extensive contacts gave them the qualities they needed to find their way through the chaos and uncertainty of Russia in its immediate post-Soviet years.

Not only have they survived, they have succeeded. KGB agents, and those from the KGB's main successor agency, the FSB (Federalnaya Sluzhba Bezopasnosti, or State Security Service), are among those making millions from Russia's economic boom.

"Former KGB officers and current FSB officers are increasing their influence in the oil and gas industries," says Mikhail Krutikhin, of Rusenergia.

Mr Krutikhin's years as a foreign correspondent for the Tass news agency brought him into frequent contact with Soviet intelligence officers. He sees the hand of their successors in Russia's richest industries, which he now follows as an analyst.

"Russian companies have 'curators' assigned to them," he explains. "They make requests and demands for information on foreign clients."

Shadowy careers

Mr Putin himself has spoken proudly of his past in the KGB, suggesting that the experience has helped him as head of state.

Many of those now occupying positions of power in the Kremlin, and in the top levels of Russian business - the two often overlap - are believed to have been KGB agents. Their official biographies rarely spell it out, but gaps in individual CVs, or foreign postings during Soviet times, strongly suggest it.

Olga Kryshtanovskaya, of the Russian Academy of Sciences, has studied the country's centres of power since the late 1980s. This is what she sees today.

"A quarter of the political elite are siloviki," she says.

Her definition includes not only the KGB, but also the military and other security forces.

That's only the ones who publicly admit to it. It is not in the nature of many secret policemen to disclose their identity.

Ms Kryshtanovskaya estimates that when those she describes as "affiliated" - that is, not publicly declared - are taken into account, the figure could be as high as three-quarters.

One of those who makes no secret of his KGB past is Sergei Ivanov. "I am proud of it," he told the BBC's Hardtalk programme last year.

Mr Ivanov is currently one of Russia's first deputy prime ministers. He is frequently spoken of as a likely successor to Mr Putin.

The siloviki look set to stay strong.

BBC NEWS | World | Europe | Russian ex-spies flex their muscles

entropy

No doubt anymore that this is heading at full speed towards totalitarism.

__________________
If memory serves...

texacali

At least the KGB inheiritors will not have the resources of the Ukraine and Georgia and the Stan states under their complete control.

Kansas Bear

Russia blamed for 'gas sabotage'

Saakashvili interview
Georgia's president has accused Moscow of serious acts of "sabotage" after gas blasts on Russian pipelines cut off supplies to Georgia and Armenia.
Mikhail Saakashvili told the BBC the near simultaneous attacks close to Georgia's border were pre-planned actions orchestrated by Russia.

An electricity transmission line was also destroyed as Georgia experiences extremely cold weather.

Russia's foreign ministry dismissed Mr Saakashvili's remarks as "hysteria".

Russian prosecutors earlier described the attacks as deliberate criminal acts and said an investigation was under way.

Georgia has no gas reserves and was due to run out of gas on Sunday evening, correspondents say.

Relations between Georgia and Russia have been tense since Mr Saakashvili was swept to power by the so-called "Rose Revolution" in 2003, pledging to lead his nation on a pro-Western course.

'Planned attacks'

The two explosions occurred on the main branch and a reserve branch of the Mozdok-Tbilisi pipeline in the Russian border region of North Ossetia at around 0300 local time (2400 GMT).

We've received numerous threats by Russian politicians and officials at different levels to punish us for basically for not giving them pipelines

Mikhail Saakashvili
Georgian President

The electricity transmission line in Russia's southern region of Karachayevo-Cherkessiya - also near the Georgian border - was brought down by an explosion just hours later.

Speaking to the BBC, Mr Saakashvili said there was now huge pressure on his country's energy system, as it was experiencing its coldest weather in more than 20 years.

He said all gas supplies to Georgia were now cut off as was 25% of the electricity supply.

We believe this situation should not be politicised

Gazprom spokesman Sergei Kuprianov

Mr Saakashvili said the gas pipeline was blown up in "an area fully under Russian control... with a heavy presence of Russian border guards", where there were no local insurgents.

"They happened at the same time, and basically they didn't affect supplies to Russia proper, so we can conclude that it was a very well-organised and very well-co-ordinated act.

"We've received numerous threats by Russian politicians and officials at different levels to punish us for basically for not giving them pipelines," the Georgian president said.

Prime Minister Zurab Noghaideli added that the "political motive was clear".

He told the BBC that Russia was seeking "to make a problem for Georgia in winter, to make the government angry and to create instability".

Neither politician offered any evidence to back their claims.

The Russian foreign ministry described Mr Saakashvili's comments as the product of "hysteria and bacchanalia".

Russia's prosecutor's office earlier said what happened were acts of sabotage and that explosive devices had been found, the BBC's Damian Grammaticas in Moscow reports.

A spokesman for Russia's gas monopoly Gazprom said the company was doing all it could to restore gas supplies.

"We believe this situation should not be politicised," Sergei Kuprianov was quoted as saying by the Russian Interfax news agency.

Reports say it could take several days to restore gas supplies, due to the site's remoteness and poor weather conditions.

Price hikes

Georgia is holding emergency talks aimed at securing supplies from Azerbaijan and Iran, but this could also take several days, said Georgian Deputy Energy Minister Aleko Khetagurov.

Russia also supplies gas through Georgia to Armenia, which in turn sends some electricity back to Georgia.

Gas prices to the two countries were doubled in January to $110 per 1,000 cubic metres, as part of a series of recent price hikes for former Soviet countries.

Armenian President Robert Kocharyan is expected to discuss the gas situation in a meeting with Russian President Vladimir Putin, during a visit to Moscow which starts on Sunday.

BBC NEWS | World | Europe | Russia blamed for 'gas sabotage'

Kansas Bear

Ukrainian cabinet in gas crisis

Prime Minister Yekhanurov says he will stay in office for now
Ukraine's parliament has voted in favour of sacking the government over its recent gas deal with Russia.
A no-confidence vote was backed by 250 of the assembly's 450 deputies.

But President Viktor Yushchenko has questioned its legitimacy. He plans to challenge it in the Constitutional Court, his spokeswoman says.

Ukraine agreed to double its payments to Russia for gas after Moscow switched off its supplies for three days on 1 January demanding a four-fold hike.

People just wanted to play around; this will have no effect

Prime Minister Yuri Yekhanurov


Q&A: Russia-Ukraine gas row

President Yushchenko has described the deal as a victory for the country as it still avoids the Russian demand, and the government has pledged consumer gas prices will stay stable.

But initial relief has given way to growing concern that the accord does not safeguard jobs and industry, reports the BBC's Helen Fawkes in Kiev.

Second crisis

The no-confidence motion was put forward during a lively session in the parliament.

It is not clear if parliament has the power to sack the government as Ukraine is currently in the middle of political reforms, says our correspondent.

HAVE YOUR SAY
This is just the latest in the unravelling of the government elected after the Orange Revolution

Phillip Jeremy, London


Send us your comments

The cabinet will continue to act as an interim administration until a parliamentary election in March, President Yushchenko said.

Some Ukrainian politicians believe the vote is part of a plan by Moscow to destabilise the country.

"People just wanted to play around; this will have no effect," Prime Minister Yuri Yekhanurov told reporters.

But our correspondent says the vote is a huge blow to the president, coming just days after Kiev resolved its gas crisis with Russia.

Price fears

Defending the deal before parliament, the prime minister earlier said his government "was guided and will continue to be guided by the national interests of Ukraine".

He said he struck the deal - rather than referring the matter to international arbitrators - in order to avoid months of gas shortages.


Europe's gas pipeline network


Enlarge Map


There are fears Russia could raise gas prices again when the deal's six-month term has elapsed.

Ukraine had been paying only $50 (£28) per 1,000 cubic metres for its gas until the deal was reached.

It has now agreed to pay $95 (£54) per 1,000 cubic metres of gas, almost double the previous price.

Ukraine's former Prime Minister Yulia Tymoshenko has launched a legal challenge against the energy deal.

The no-confidence vote marks the second time in six months that a Ukrainian government has been sacked.

BBC NEWS | World | Europe | Ukrainian cabinet in gas crisis

Kansas Bear

Russia clinches gas pipeline deal

Russia, Turkmenistan and Kazakhstan have agreed to build a new natural gas pipeline north from the Caspian Sea.
Russia's President Vladimir Putin announced the deal at a summit with Central Asian leaders in Turkmenistan.

The agreement ensures Russia's access to Turkmenistan's gas, and is a setback to rival US and European Union plans.

They had hoped to pipe Turkmen gas across the Caspian sea via Turkey, in order to reduce the EU's dependence on Russian-controlled energy.


Following two days of negotiations the presidents of the three countries, meeting in the Turkmen port city of Turkmenbashi, announced they would sign a treaty on the planned pipeline by September.


Click here to see a map of gas routes




President Putin said the deal would mean increased energy supplies to Europe.

'Huge blow'

The new pipeline will carry gas from Turkmenistan, one of the world's largest sources of gas, through Kazakhstan to Russia.

"We will reconstruct the Caspian shore gas pipeline with a capacity of 10 billion cubic metres (per year) and build a parallel gas pipeline." Mr Putin said.

We will reconstruct the Caspian shore gas pipeline with a capacity of 10 billion cubic metres (per year) and build a parallel gas pipeline

Vladimir Putin


Analysis: Russian deal
The deal represents a victory for Russia, which buys Turkmen gas at below-market prices.

The BBC's Natalia Antelava says the agreement is a huge blow to Washington, Brussels and Beijing, who have all been vying for direct access to Turkmenistan's gas.

They have lobbied strongly for a route under the Caspian Sea to Azerbaijan and Turkey, bypassing Russia.

Turkmenistan's massive gas reserves are effectively controlled by Moscow, since it relies on Russian energy giant Gazprom's Soviet-era pipelines for distribution.

For two decades, the isolationist policy of Turkmenistan's late leader Saparmurat Niyazov made additional access impossible.

But his death last year opened a window of opportunity and it was hoped that new President Kurbanguly Berdymukhamedov would give the go-ahead to a trans-Caspian pipeline that would ease Europe's dependence on Kremlin-controlled energy.

BBC NEWS | World | Asia-Pacific | Russia clinches gas pipeline deal

entropy

I can in fact see an annexation of Belarus in the next 20 years.

Kansas Bear

When another country controls whether your people live or freeze, who has the power.....

entropy

Father Frost.

glyn

Ray

Russia always required an authoritarian leader or a monarch to succeed!

History repeats itself!

__________________


"Some have learnt many Tricks of sly Evasion, Instead of Truth they use Equivocation, And eke it out with mental Reservation, Which is to good Men an Abomination."

I don't have to attend every argument I'm invited to.

HAKUNA MATATA

crooks

It's only a matter of time before they try to use the gas demands on the EU -Yay for Totalarianism, she's not dying quick.

__________________
'An neart de an tir, an gra den daonra agus an gloir de Eireann'.

Julie

Yeah, and I bet Ronald Reagan is rolling over in his grave.

Feanor