ANTON NOSIK, a Russian pundit and popular blogger, on the prospect of presidential candidate Mikhail Prokhorov winning enough votes to make the run-off — and then possibly beating Vladimir Putin — in elections in Russia next month. TIME contributor Simon Shuster discusses the likelihood in “Is Putin’s Fake Rival the Real Deal?” in Foreign Policy. See his recent Russian coverage for TIME here.
“If he gets his hand on that scepter, he's untouchable. He'll turn into a different animal as soon as he tastes blood. And then what? You think he'll just hand back the reins? I really wouldn't bet on it.”
