The president of the fund 'Politika', Vyacheslav Nikonov, said Medvedev's nomination is a public relations move intended to break the “bloody dictatorship dominated by the KGB” image of Russia created by the western media.
“Putin once said there were at least five potential candidates for his position, which means he was thinking about at least five potential successors. I believe Viktor Zubkov, Russia’s incumbent Prime Minister, was once on top of the list. And so, why Putin chose Medvedev? Of course, only Putin knows the answer. But it’s worth mentioning that Medvedev has been close to Putin for many years. He has probably more potential and a longer time span to be an important political figure in the country,” Nikonov stressed.