After Ukraine Is Russia's Putin Next?

Russian and Ukrainian Presidents Vladimir Putin and Viktor Yanukovych. © RIA Novosti. Aleksey Druzjinin

Will Ukraine's Protests Swallow Putin, Too? -- Leonid Bershidsky, Bloomberg

Two events that took place on Friday highlighted the enormous difference between Ukraine and Russia, two large, neighboring, corrupt, misgoverned East European nations whose peoples understand each other's language and share cultural references.

In Kiev, President Viktor Yanukovych conceded defeat at the hands of protesters who had held the center of the capital for three months. After all-night talks with parliamentary opposition leaders, EU and Russian mediators, he said he would call an early presidential election in December 2014, but before that, the constitution would be amended to curb the president's powers and move toward a parliamentary republic. At the same time in Moscow, a court found eight people guilty of "taking part in mass disturbances" and violence against riot police in May 2012. The verdict, which carries prison sentences of as long as six years, sealed Russian President Vladimir Putin's victory over the protesters who accused him and his allies of rigging elections in 2011 and 2012.

Russians, both Putin supporters and opponents, will now grapple with the question of how relevant the Ukrainian example is to them.

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My Comment: Russian President Putin will not be the next leader to face a popular uprising. I am a Putin critic .... but even I do recognize the fact that he enjoys support from many Russians .... especially the elderly and those who live in the rural regions. His weakness is the economy .... and if the economy falls he will be facing a growing and vocal opposition movement. But for the moment .... while the Russian economy is having problems .... the budgets are balanced, there is growth, and the sentiment among many is that things are getting better.