Is Putin past his political sell-by date?

As the Russian people begin to tire of his stunts, it is high time Vladimir Putin left the political spotlight, writes Nina L Khrushcheva

WHEN a tsar is treated not with awe but mockery, it is time for him to consider retirement or to prepare for a palace coup. Russian Prime Minister Vladimir Putin, who intends to stage a glorious return to the Kremlin as president in the election scheduled for March next year, should reflect on that choice.

This year began with a vigorous (by Russian standards) internet petition urging Putin to take the first option. Then the whole country laughed when, during his customary visit to a patriotic summer camp run by Nashi (a pro-Putin youth movement), he demonstrated his physical prowess by scaling a rock-climbing wall, only to find that he couldn’t climb down.