Dining at His Majesty’s

On his first birthday as a president Volodymyr Putin left for St. Petersburg to celebrate with his next of kin and close friends. Meanwhile, all the Russian political elite at the helm with Premier Mikhail Kasyanov remained in Moscow to attend another feast, the grand presentation of Boris Yeltsin’s memoirs. Only administration head Oleksandr Voloshyn was sent to the northern capital to watch over Pres. Putin and his guests. Things have changed two years down the road. The president started celebrating his birthday in Chisinau with an official lunch of the Russian delegation to the CIS summit and ended it off with a grand dinner at the Kremlin with the highest-ranking officials, namely the premier, the presidential administration head, the Federation Council chairman and virtually all of the top officers of special services putting in an appearance. It stands to reason the selection of guests was made on the basis of their standing. And this selection reflected Putin’s current status amongst the Russian ruling elite which he achieved in the three years since his accession to power, namely the status of a monarch commanding admiration which is seen as an essential part of social etiquette and should be paraded on television with all the fervor of a loyal subject. This selection also mirrors Putin’s status in the team which brought him to power on December 31, 1999, specifically that of the patron of the special services and the military. However, Putin did not come by this status in the years of his presidency. He achieved it even before his appointment as the last premier of Boris Yeltsin when he was doubling as Federal Security Service chief and Security Council secretary. But notwithstanding the complexity and variety of the duties incumbent upon him, this country no longer hinges on the sway of special services and authority of the military, but, rather, on the complicated relationships between criminalized business elites and regional barons who are not really a source of tangible power. Nonetheless, the status of a monarch and duties of the patron make it possible to quite successfully cover up all the realities of present-day Russia. Talk of oligarchs and regional leaders? There are none of the kind in the Kremlin! As in the good old times the dinner at the Kremlin was attended by generals, commanders and commanders-in-chief, directors of special departments et al. In a word, a dinner for the elect to mark an important date. However, those in the know will no doubt associate Messrs. Kasyanov and Voloshyn with oligarchs, since they also did not pay for their seats at the table but got them solely thanks to their respective posts of the head of government and head of the administration. They are no businessmen but, rather, plain-clothes marshals and top aides, a kind of privy council. Another round of champagne to Mykhailo Mykhailovych and Oleksandr Stalyevych! A sight not to be missed – Putin’s images on ostrich eggs, leaflets and portraits by a primitive artist from a remote Siberian township... Then there was more of Putin on television. And a replica of Monomakh’s headgear as if it were a replica of power. Except that there is either real power or no power at all. Perhaps no period in the thousand-year history of Russia has seen such a ceremonious, confident and popularly loved power which is so distant from decision-making centers. Let us drink to that.