Russian Tycoon's Arrest Indicates Putin's Attempt to Prove Power
JUDY WOODRUFF, CNN ANCHOR: Now to Russian President Vladimir Putin, and the uproar over the arrest of one of Russia's most powerful and critical independent media tycoons. Vladimir Gusinsky, charged with fraud and embezzlement, and then released from a Moscow jail Friday, says that he is the target of a vendetta carried out by Mr. Putin.</s>WOODRUFF (voice-over): "A return to the totalitarian past." Vladimir Gusinsky minced no words in describing his arrest. Gusinsky has denied all charges against him. His lawyer warns the worst is yet to come.</s>GENRY REZNIK, GUSINSKY'S ATTORNEY (though translator): A new government is here, different people with big teeth and fangs, and free of any moral limitations. They will pressure, destroy, and jail everyone they consider to be opponents.</s>WOODRUFF: Many Russian journalists and other analysts agree the arrest was the latest attempt by Mr. Putin to prove his power and silence one of his harshest critics. Other examples: Mr. Putin's major role behind the war in the breakaway republic of Chechnya. His bid last month aimed at stripping power from all of Russia's 89 governors. And on the international stage, his direct challenge to American president Bill Clinton's missile defense plan. But all attention now is on the Gusinsky controversy. Mr. Putin has responded to his critics, saying Gusinsky's arrest was "excessive" and should not have happened. But this raises questions about just how much control Mr. Putin has over his aids, many of whom were appointed by former president Boris Yeltsin.</s>ALAN ROUSSO, ANALYST: It looks like Putin is not in control. He goes away and suddenly something like this which has serious ramifications for, I think, people's understanding of his degree of political control. That, I think, is the thing that damages him the most.</s>WOODRUFF: The Clinton administration responded quickly to Gusinsky's release. White House National Security Agency Spokesman P.J. Crowley said a combination of international pressure and a strong response inside Russia gave Mr. Putin pause, and they have moved in the right direction.