Robert Amsterdam

From Courrier International, quoting die tageszeitung:

Last week Russian President Vladimir Putin declared his intention of remaining active in politics after the next election. In an interview with Klaus-Helge Donath, the popular Russian satirist Viktor Shenderovich explains what Vladimir Putin means when he uses his key term "stability": "There are different forms of stability. A tree is stable. It lives, parts of it die, and other parts grow. This is stability through change. Our stability, on the other hand, is that of a morgue where the dead stay in the same place with the same yellow tag on their toes. Nothing happens, there's no life in the place, but people know where to look for the tag and where the bodies belong. In Russia stability means no politics and the atmosphere of a refrigerator."

In other news, "U.S. Hopes for Democracy in Russia Fade" (Washington Post).