A reader apprises me of the following Letter to the Editor in his local newspaper (Durham News & Observer):

Regarding your March 10 editorial “Russia’s ‘choice’”: Unsure of which of the many broadcast pronunciations of new Russian President Dmitri Medvedev’s last name was correct, I asked a co-worker and former Soviet citizen, “How do you pronounce ‘Medvedev’?”
His reply: “POO-tin.”