Indeed, rapid fluctuations in public support for certain Russian political figures puzzles many observers. In 1996, Boris Yeltsin started the presidential campaign with a 5 percent rating and reached 35 percent in four months. Vladimir Putin's support this year skyrocketed from 8 to 48 percent while Primakov plummeted from nearly 60 to 15. This phenomenon, if it continues, could bring more unexpected results in the future. The unjust taxation system, which serves the interests of tycoons at the expense of millions of ordinary citizens, will probably survive as well.
Corrupt bureaucrats can rest easy, at least until the presidential elections.
There are other trends in the Russian society that cause concern. The political and moral climate in the country has evidently changed for the worse in the past 7 or 8 years. Very few people pay attention to what Aleksandr Solzhenitsyn says about Russian democracy and self-government. Only a dozen human rights activists came to commemorate the tenth anniversary of Andrei Sakharov's death. These facts are troubling.