Russia faces a tense presidential election. The Russian people’s complaints about the lack of promised freedoms grow louder. An apartment building collapses after an explosion. A plot to carry out terrorism in Russian population centers and even against the president himself is uncovered.
The year is… 2012. This morning, in fact. But it bears a peculiar resemblance to the circumstances surrounding Vladimir Putin’s election in 2000 and the election of his successor in 2008, Dmitry Medvedev. The most noticeable difference today is probably the cynicism with which the news has been greeted. Miriam Elder reports:
