Former Russian Prime Minister Medvedev Has Become Putin's 'Scapegoat'

Russian President Vladimir Putin (R) speaks with Prime Minister Dmitry Medvedev in the rain during a wreath-laying ceremony marking the anniversary of the Nazi German invasion in 1941, by the Kremlin wall in Moscow, Russia June 22, 2017. REUTERS/Sergei Karpukhin

Leonid Bershidsky, Bloomberg: Putin Hunted for Scapegoats and Found Medvedev

When Russian President Vladimir Putin announced a radical overhaul of Russia’s governance system this week, he also ended the Medvedev era. Dmitry Medvedev was, at least formally, Putin’s closest sidekick, the politician with whom the strongman was most willing to share formal power. Whether or not it’s time for Medvedev’s political obit, his stint near the top of Russia’s so-called power vertical will serve as an example of how the Putin system’s inertia can suffocate the best modernizing intentions.

Medvedev abruptly resigned as prime minister on Wednesday, without giving advance notice to members of his government, who also had to tender their resignations. “We as the government must give our country’s president the opportunity to make all the necessary decisions,” Medvedev said, though it wasn’t clear how his continued occupancy of the top cabinet post could get in the way of Putin’s reform.

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WNU Editor: Dmitry Medvedev says he is going to still lead the Party .... Medvedev Says He's Hanging On To United Russia Party Chairmanship (RFE). Even though United Russia has a super-majority in the State Duma (Russia's parliament), public support for the party is now almost non-existent. IMHO the future does not look bright for the former Prime Minister.