The dismissive Mr Putin.

Russian President Vladimir Putin's dismissal of Mikhail Kasyanov, and his entire government, this week was far from routine. Russia is, of course, far from being either normal or democratic. It has long been a certainty that Putin would win re-election by a landslide. Largely because he has presided over a period of relative stability and economic growth, he remains hugely popular with Russian voters. Putin was within his constitutional rights to dismiss the government, even if the timing was surprising. His dissatisfaction with Kasyanov, the last big holdover from the Yeltsin era, had long been rumoured. Kasyanov's dismissal reflects the outcome of the power struggle inside the Kremlin that has been going on since the attack on Yukos began last summer, if not before. His departure marks the triumph, at least for now, of the anti-oligarch, former security-service camp around Putin. The question is how much further a re-elected Putin may move in the direction of autocracy.