[russia] ramifications of the killing

I ran a recent piece about Putin's popularity. On one level he's like every other leader - people are arch-cynical about leaders lining their own pockets and not giving a toss. But Putin has challenged the assumption and though he'll never be destitute, it's become apparent that he really is trying to ram through reforms or at least the basis for them, in the short time he has at his disposal. People want them; they are hungry for them. The dismay they feel at this gunning down is because, as my friend Alsu said earlier, 'We thought we were over all that. We thought all that stopped in '98.' I think she should be optimistic - this is going to make Putin all the more determined to shut down these b-st-ds and force the lawlessness down to a tolerable level. Related: Khodokorvsky, Russian mind, [in Russian].