The " Pussy Riot " threat to Putin.

Vladimir Putin is the new Czar of Russia.   This is a country that has long existed under authoritarian rule. The Communist revolution merely replaced an old dictator with a new face and Russian citizens are used to harsh repression  and unfair courts.  Josef Stalin ruled with an iron fist and during the years of the " cold war " it was prudent to keep silent on any ideas of revolt for fear of a term of imprisonment in the Gulags.

There was a brief interlude of light and freedom.  Mikhail Gorbachov introduced " perestroika " as the Soviet system crumbled and later Boris Yeltsin presided over an era when state assets were sold at fire sale prices to entrepeneurs. and a new wealthy class emerged with oil, gas and media interests.  No longer encircled by an "iron curtain ", Russians travelled abroad. A new era was dawning.

It was not to be.  " Vlad - the Impaler " emerged from the ranks of the old KGB with the skills to manipulate his way to power.  He certainly showed skill in taking back state assets that had passed into private hands, but the methods used were brutal.  Any person who stood in Putin's way found trumped up charges laid and faced a court that obeyed Putin's orders.  Convicted of dubious crimes, their assets were seized and they received long terms in the Russian prison system.  Putin emerged as a man to be feared.

Russia has just had an election that was laced with suspicious vote rigging.  Putin is firmly in the driver's seat, but for the first time there is an upswell of opposition to his rule and the Russian people have had the courage to mass in the streets at anti-Putin demonstrations.   The police and the courts are firmly under Putin's control, but - uneasy lays the head which wears a crown.   As the history books show, the seeds of revolution start in unexpected places, and right now events in Russia are developing what could become the focal point of change.

A group of young women with the improbable name of " Pussy Riot " invaded one of Moscow's cathedrals and staged a song and dance act calling for the church to oppose Putin's rule.  From a legal point of view it was a misdemeanour but the authorities reacted by arresting three of the young women and holding them in prison for five months before the case came before a court.   There were threats that a seven year prison sentence could be imposed and Putin tried to mollify outrage by expressing the hope that the judges would be more merciful.   They have since handed down a two year sentence.

"Pussy Riot" has caught the public imagination.  Around the world, demonstrations have been held calling for their release and the trial has lit a match to gunpowder in Russia.   The more Putin and the authorities try to hose down this opposition, the more it is likely to grow, and it could become the nucleus of a groundswell that is impossible to control.

The future is unclear.   Putin may use guns, batons and fire hoses to cower the mob and emerge the winner - but it is also worth noting that the " Arab Spring " arose from a simple incident when a vegetable seller immolated because of despair with the system.   Half a dozen countries erupted into civil war from that incident, and in Russia the actions of several comely young women now hang in the balance.

The history books will reveal the end of this story !