Putin's gang

An article in The Economist analysing the new Russian Cabinet says it will soon face a painful dilemma in economic policy. Should it favour the handful of extraordinarily powerful businessmen close to Vladimir Putin and the managers of large, state-run companies, or the country’s rural and working-class population, which Mr Putin increasingly perceives as his electoral base? Both groups are essential to the stability of Mr Putin’s rule, yet are fighting over the same shrinking economic pie.