The PR-spin days of Putin may be nearing an end. While Russians were fine with his flashy antics a few years ago, suddenly they want more. They want more freedom and less Putin. In the early days of Putin, Russians were just glad to be back on the map after the fall of the Soviet Union. They could tolerate and even accept Putin's desire to be on the front pages.
Russians used to be very insular but thanks to prosperity in the oil industry as well as other areas (software, for example) more and more Russians have circulated outside of Russia. After seeing the world a bit, Putin's games are no longer as attractive as it used to be. If you're going to rub your billions into the faces of the public, you should expect some backlash, eventually. Parts of Russian society have progressed, but not enough and not quickly enough. The Guardian:
With concern inside the Kremlin growing, Putin and Dmitry Medvedev, Russia's president, met their security council, including the interior and defence ministers, the head of the federal security service (FSB) and the country's foreign intelligence chief, to discuss the situation.
Helicopters hovered in the skies over Moscow, while the police presence on the streets of the Russian capital remained strong following two protests that led to hundreds of people arrested.
The movement was triggered by a disputed parliamentary election result that protesters say wildly overstated the popularity of Putin's United Russia party.
