A Well-Timed Assassination Plot on Russia's Putin

It is entirely credible that terrorists from Chechnya decided it was time to assassinate Russian leader Vladimir Putin. But when you run your country like a police state where investigative journalists seeking the truth can be executed, don't be surprised at the scepticism that accompanies this dramatic story, given that the news is likely to bolster Putin's imminent electoral fortunes:

Asked if the reported plot was an election stunt, a spokesman for Mr Putin said such a suggestion was "blasphemous".

 

Anton Orekhov, political editor of Moscow Echo radio, said there was no doubt that Islamist militants from the Caucasus were "capable of carrying out whatever act of terror, and for them the bloodier the better".

"But how well timed this has all been," he added, quoted by AFP news agency.