Russia's Truck Drivers Protest In Moscow

New York Times: Russian Truckers, Irate Over New Tolls, Block Roads Near Moscow

MOSCOW — Hundreds of long-distance truckers blocked a lengthy section of the ring road circling the capital on Friday to protest a new national toll, in the first sign that Russia’s economic woes might be eroding the broad support for President Vladimir V. Putin’s government.

The direct object of their ire was Igor Rotenberg, the scion of a billionaire oligarch clan close to Mr. Putin, who owns half of a new, GPS-based system that, when fully operational, will charge truckers fees on all federal highways.

Their larger anger, however, was reserved for what they called the government’s failure to alleviate the devastating effects of inflation and recession over the past year, prompted by the steep drop in oil prices, sanctions the West imposed over Ukraine and retaliatory sanctions the Kremlin imposed on Western food imports.

WNU Editor: The economy is Putin's Achilles Heel. His support is still strong in Russia, but if the economy does not improve in 2016 .... expect this support to decline below 50% (if not more).