where are the dangers to democracy in Russia coming from?
The arrest on June 13 of Russia’s biggest media tycoon, the “oligarch” Vladimir Gusinsky, caused a stir both in Russia and internationally. For the first time since the collapse of the Soviet Union, a member of the “caste of untouchables” was arrested. In the course of the stormy events of the past 10 years governors, ministers and even the chief state prosecutor have been imprisoned, but never one of the handful of super-rich Russian oligarchs. The circumstances under which Gusinsky was arrested seem like something out of a police thriller. He had been subpoenaed as a witness by the chief state prosecutor’s office to testify about companies belonging to his Media-Most holding group, the offices of which had been raided and searched by a special unit of the secret service on May 11, just after Putin assumed office. After questioning, he was charged and detained in Butyrka Prison, which is run by the chief prosecutor’s office. His detention pending trial was set at 10 days. At the time
