Putin accuses Clinton of instigating protesters

The comments came as opposition supporters largely stayed off the streets after three nights of sizeable protests. No protests were seen in Moscow and only a small one where 10 people were arrested was reported in St. Petersburg.

But the wave of discontent -- which has already undercut Putin's public persona of being both strong and beloved -- may be far from cresting. More than 30,000 people have promised on a Facebook page to attend a Saturday protest in Moscow and similar rallies have been called for more than 70 other cities.

Putin, in televised remarks, accused the U.S. of encouraging and funding the Russians protesting the alleged election fraud in Sunday's elections. By recently describing Russia's election as rigged, Clinton "gave a signal" to his opponents, said Putin, who also warned of a wider Russian crackdown on dissent.

"They heard this signal and with the support of the U.S. State Department began their active work," Putin said. He said the United States is spending "hundreds of millions" of dollars to influence Russian politics with the aim of weakening a rival nuclear power.

Putin's tough words show the deep cracks in U.S.-Russian ties despite President Barack Obama's efforts to "reset" relations with the Kremlin. Ahead of the election, President Dmitry Medvedev threatened to deploy missiles to target the U.S. missile shield in Europe if Washington failed to assuage Moscow's concerns about its plans.

Clinton has repeatedly criticized Sunday's parliamentary vote, saying "Russian voters deserve a full investigation of electoral fraud and manipulation."

Putin's United Russia party barely held onto its majority in parliament, with official results giving it about 50 percent of the vote, down from 64 percent four years ago. But the fraud allegations indicate that support for United Russia was even lower than that, and Russians appear to be growing weary of Putin and his party after nearly 12 years in office.

Putin was president from 2000 until 2008, when he moved into the prime minister's office to abide by constitutional term limits. He intends to reclaim the presidency after an election in March that would give him at least six more years in power.

Putin's return to the Kremlin still seems assured, but he clearly has been shaken by the outburst of public anger and it is not yet clear how much of a challenge it will pose to his power.

Moscow has already put about 50,000 police and 2,000 paramilitary troops on the streets, backed by water cannons.

Putin warned that the government might take an even harder line against those who try to influence Russia's political process on behalf of a foreign government.

"We are the largest nuclear power," Putin said. "And our partners have certain concerns and shake us so that we don't forget who is the master of this planet, so that we remain obedient and feel that they have leverage to influence us within our own country."

He said "especially unacceptable is the infusion of foreign money into the electoral process."

Clinton reached out to Russia on Thursday.

1|2|Next Page>>

PrintEmail

Write a Comment

Terms

Enter your comments - 3000 characters max

Type in image code

Submit

 Receive China Post promos
 Respond to this email