Having lost the support of the urban, educated class, Mr Putin has tried to cement his less educated and more conservative electorate by fanning intolerance and anti-Western sentiment. The congress of the Popular Front coincided with the passage of laws against “gay propaganda” and “blasphemy”, which were accompanied by homophobic attacks in front of the Russian parliament. In forcing this socially conservative agenda on the country, the Kremlin is trying to brand its opponents as propagandists of homosexuality and blasphemy, even though the opposition’s biggest concern is about corruption.
At the same time, Mr Putin has himself tried to adopt the anti-corruption slogans of his opponents and even targeted some officials. Yet so far most Russians see this merely as a confirmation of corruption. To persuade them otherwise would require real arrests and purges within the Kremlin’s inner circle, something Mr Putin has so far resisted for fear of provoking a revolt. He may still change his government and prime minister quite soon. Nor does it stop him going after some powerful regional bosses, as the recent arrest of Said Amirov, the mayor of Makhachkala in Dagestan, who has survived 15 assassination attempts, shows. But whether the Popular Front can become the real thing or will remain a Kremlin fake is open to question.
