| 2007 was a year in which Russia deployed new | | | | assure control of parliament in a December 2 |
| weapons, withdrew from a major European | | | | election. |
| security treaty, and held a widely criticized | | | | |
| election campaign, all while continuing to | | | | Riot police used force to disperse opposition |
| enjoy economic growth and a stronger | | | | campaign rallies and opposition leaders were |
| currency. VOA Moscow Correspondent Peter | | | | jailed. The opposition was also denied access |
| Fedynsky looks at a year of Russian | | | | to nationwide TV, and its campaign literature |
| muscle-flexing. | | | | was confiscated. These and other violations |
| | | | were noted by European election observers. |
| At the Moscow Air Show in August, Russia | | | | |
| signaled an intention to revive its | | | | The president of the OSCE's Parliamentary |
| commercial and military aviation industries, | | | | Assembly, Goran Lennmarker, pointed to |
| which fell on hard times after the Soviet | | | | President Vladimir Putin's campaign on behalf |
| collapse. Just days before the exhibition, | | | | of the ruling United Russia Party. |
| one of the planes on display, the TU-160 | | | | |
| strategic bomber, took to the skies again on | | | | "The merging of the state and political |
| orders of President Vladimir Putin. | | | | parties is an abuse of power and a clear |
| | | | violation of international commitments and |
| Mr. Putin said he decided to renew | | | | standards," he said. "The other point is that |
| round-the-clock strategic air combat patrols | | | | the media showed a strong bias in favor of |
| as he announced 14 bombers accompanied by | | | | the president and the ruling United Russia |
| support planes and refueling tankers had | | | | Party." |
| already taken off that day. | | | | |
| | | | The Kremlin claims credit for reviving the |
| Russia's strategic aviation had been grounded | | | | Russian military and economy, and President |
| due to economic difficulties in the 1990s. | | | | Putin says leadership continuity is needed to |
| | | | assure further success. Kremlin control of |
| The Kremlin engaged in a flurry of other | | | | national media assures no one will challenge |
| publicized military activity - deployment of | | | | such claims. And continuity was virtually |
| an upgraded missile defense system around | | | | guaranteed when Mr. Putin supported Dmitri |
| Moscow; ongoing construction of three new | | | | Medvedev as the next president. Mr. Medvedev |
| nuclear submarines; military exercises with | | | | returned the favor by asking Mr. Putin to |
| China; air force maneuvers over distant | | | | become prime minister. |
| oceans. Other moves put foreign countries on | | | | |
| notice - Kremlin suspension of a key European | | | | Given such control by the ruling elite, |
| security treaty and a threat to deploy | | | | opposition presidential candidate and former |
| nuclear weapons near Poland. This - in | | | | chess champion Garry Kasparov withdrew from |
| response to a U.S. proposal for a missile | | | | the race, calling the presidential election |
| defense system in Central Europe to guard | | | | "a farce." |
| against a possible Iranian missile attack. | | | | |
| | | | "It's not the end of the world; it just shows |
| But in remarks to VOA, independent Russian | | | | that this game is a fake not only on the day |
| military analyst Alexander Khramchekhin said | | | | of the election with the election fraud, but |
| the rebuilding of Russia's military is more | | | | at every stage of this process," he said. |
| public relations than reality. | | | | |
| | | | In June, the Kremlin tightened its grip on |
| "The move," says Khramchekhin, "is partly an | | | | Russian energy production, pressuring British |
| attempt to resolve a psychological complex, | | | | Petroleum to give up its stake in Siberia's |
| in other words, to show that Russia has | | | | Kovykta field, one of the world's largest gas |
| become as strong as before. It is, he says, | | | | deposits. And as energy exports continue to |
| largely a propaganda campaign for domestic | | | | boost Russia's economy, its people this year |
| rather than foreign consumption." | | | | began saving more rubles and selling off U.S. |
| | | | dollars. |
| Military imagery was, indeed, used by the | | | | |
| ruling United Russia Party in a TV ad during | | | | In more good news for the Kremlin, Russia won |
| the recent parliamentary campaign. The | | | | its bid for the 2012 Winter Olympic Games and |
| commercial featured fighter jets, President | | | | a research submarine planted a Russian flag |
| Putin in a flight suit, and elite troops with | | | | on the bottom of the Arctic Ocean at the |
| guns in hand. | | | | North Pole in a bid to claim vast undersea |
| | | | oil deposits. |
| The Kremlin, however, went beyond imagery to | | | | |