Russian President Dmitry Medvedev has warned opponents and government officials against dissent ahead of Vladimir Putins plan to regain the presidency, one day after Medvedev fired finance minister Alexei Kudrin. Last week, Medvedev agreed to swap jobs with Putin after presidential elections next March, spurring a wave of criticism against Putin having too much power.
Putin, who leads the dominant United Russia Party, is almost guaranteed of victory which means that, as the presidential terms have been extended to six years from four, he could rule Russia until the year 2024.
Medvedev has also threatened action against politicians who oppose his program of increased defense spending. Kudrin was sacrificed after he openly criticized such expenditures.
Russia isnt a banana republic, Medvedev told reporters after watching a counter-terrorism exercise in the Chelyabinsk region of the Ural Mountains today, suggesting that the country needs to maintain a modern army.