Russia's President Fights to Keep Control

Behind the walls of Moscow's Kremlin is a shadowy world of subterfuge and intrigue. In a place where cloak and dagger tactics are the norm, the past month has been particularly chaotic for the elites controlling Russia. Raids, arrests, forced resignations and reshufflings have left the political battlefield littered with the fallen. The world of the Kremlin is intentionally opaque, but one common theme is emerging: There is a grab underway by the Federal Security Service (FSB) to control Russia's financial flows and assets. Furthermore, one particularly formidable FSB elite is consolidating power in and beyond the FSB -- a move that is not only personally dangerous but could also challenge President Vladimir Putin's authority at a time when Russia's strongman faces many intersecting crises. ...