Administrative conflicts and public politics stirred up by the crisis were balanced last week. President Dmitry Medvedev further developed the idea of Supreme Arbitration Court chair Anton Ivanov about the necessity to modernize Russian laws. It seems the prosecutor general’s office will have a considerable role in this project – it is carrying out anti-corruption examination of bills and has already pointed out that at least 10,000 of them contain corruption motives. Thus, the prospects of cardinal modernization of Russian laws (however, on the municipal level mainly) are shaping clearer. It should be noted that the president supported the initiatives of Yury Chaika’s administrative rival, investigation committee head Alexander Bastrykin, pointing to the necessity to work with such an important institution as the jury.
Last week the head of state introduced two last bills out of the so-called 10 planks voiced in his 2008 Address. Thus, his plans to partially liberalize the Russian political system are acquiring a more and more complete shape despite the criticism by some opposition members, who believe this is imitation. These processes are taking place amid another wave of rumors about soon breakup of the ruling tandem and dismissal of Vladimir Putin. Such rumors are likely to be due to the anniversary of Dmitry Medvedev’s election, which will gradually turn into the anniversary of his inauguration, which will provide ground for speculations about the tandem’s collapse in the next 2.5 months at least.
On the administrative level there was complete confusion over military reforms. According to the latest data, the airborne troops will be reduced, which contradicts the sense of the reforms aimed at increasing the number of constant combat readiness units. Confidence of the defense ministry’s top officials that the nuclear shield is enough to withstand modern military threats also causes doubts.