The only real clues we get about the extent to which Vladimir Putin is still running the show in Russia come when there is daylight between he him and Russian president Dmitry Medvedev on some issue. Cue Libya:
In a rare faceoff with Russian Prime Minister Vladimir Putin, President Dmitry Medvedev said on Monday he stood by Russia’s decision not to veto the UN Security Council resolution on Libya.
“Russia did not exercise [the veto power] for one reason: I do not consider this resolution to be wrong. Moreover, I believe that this resolution generally reflects our understanding of what is going on in Libya,” Medvedev said.
Russian Prime Minister Vladimir Putin earlier on Monday likened the UN Security Council resolution on Libya to a medieval crusade call.
Could be good cop / bad cop. Could be a sign that Dmitry Medvedev — gasp — rules Russia by something approximating his own volition.