ASSESSMENTS

The Ousting of Moscow's Mayor

Sep 28, 2010 | 14:53 GMT

VLADIMIR RODIONOV/AFP/Getty Images

Summary

The firing of longtime Moscow Mayor Yuri Luzhkov — one of the country's last significant political figures from the Yeltsin era who had been all but untouchable until now because of his political patronage and alleged ties to the powerful Moscow Mob organized crime ring —- represents a culmination of the Kremlin's plan to assert state authority over Russian organized crime. The decision was also made via consensus at the top of the Kremlin's leadership. The question now is whether Luzhkov will have any way to retaliate for his dismissal.

Longtime Moscow Mayor Yuri Luzhkov, a holdover from the Yeltsin era with alleged ties to organized crime in the city, has been sacked by Russian President Dmitri Medvedev....

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