Do not overlook the few tens of thousands of protesters that gathered on Saturday at Moscow's Bolotnaya Square. The opposition demands that the recent parliamentary elections results be nullified on the grounds of fraud, but primarily to put pressure on the Prime Minister, and soon-to-be-president Vladimir Putin, Russia's strongman and one of the most influential people on the planet. The protesters know that the number of those that came down on Saturday to Moscow's streets, tens of thousands in a city of 12 million, are just a drop in the ocean. On the other hand Putin, who has maintained an iron grip on Russia for over a decade, should be alarmed. It is no surprise that he vented his anger at U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton. There are many in Russia who do not buy the election results, some even among Putin's camp. The nostalgic bunch yearning for the old order welcomed the fraud, if it did exist. The way they see it, Russia needs a strongman and that is the way to show ones standing. It is a matter of political culture, of history. And anyway, tossing elections out in the era of Mikhail Gorbachev ... when have there not been irregularities in Russian elections- But now there is a new generation in Russia that has grown up accustomed to different circumstances, that does not know what life was like in the Soviet Union. Using social networks, 34,000 people rallied together to protest on Saturday. Again, not a huge number, but Putin must remember that every protest starts from something. And Europe? It has barely responded, it has enough troubles to deal with. The U.S., however, has spoken out loud and clear, as if it has nothing else on its plate. In any case, the Russian opposition did not take to the streets on Saturday. Those that did protest were fringe groups. They were many different groups with varying demands. What binds these people together is the common demand for Putin to go home. Though as of now, it is more likely that Putin returns to the Kremlin in March, while Medvedev becomes his prime minster. Is this a joke? Not in Russia. Besides, Putin never had a sense of a humor. Luckily for Putin, the protesters are few in number, disorganized and leaderless. On the other hand, Russia has suddenly discovered that one can criticize Putin in public.
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