NYT: Putin's Senior Economic Adviser Abruptly Resigns

http://www.nytimes.com/2005/12/27/international/europe/27cnd-russia.html?hp&ex=1135746000&en=b96377402fd1048e&ei=5094&partner=homepage

The most outspoken of President Vladimir V. Putin's senior advisers abruptly resigned today, warning that Russia's nascent political freedoms have been lost and the Kremlin's economic choices have been poor. He also said that he had no more ability to influence the government's course.

The official, Andrei N. Illarionov, 44, had been an economic adviser to the Kremlin since shortly after Mr. Putin took office nearly six years ago. His tenure in recent years had turned publicly rocky, and he had become an occasional but memorable critic of Kremlin policy.

In what was probably his final appearance as part of Mr. Putin's administration, Mr. Illarionov stuck to past form today, criticizing the government in terms no other Kremlin insider has dared.

"Six years ago, when I took up this post, I devoted my work to creating the conditions for increasing economic freedoms in Russia," he said, according to the ITAR-TASS news agency. "In the last year it has become clear that not only has economic policy become different, but the economic model itself in the country has, too."

Does anyone elese noteice that the Bush admin is so silent on this issue?

Any guesses as to why?

That's right kiddies: We Are Next

2//MosNews.com, Russia Created: 27.12.2005 15:45 MSK (GMT +3), Updated: 16:15 MSK

http://www.mosnews.com/news/2005/12/27/illarionov.shtml



PUTIN’S LIBERAL ECONOMIC ADVISOR ILLARIONOV RESIGNS



Andrei Illarionov, an economic advisor to Russian President told a press conference on Tuesday in Moscow that he has tendered his resignation.

“I have tendered my resignation as a presidential economic advisor and have handed it to my employer,” the Interfax news agency quoted Illarionov as saying.

“As long as I had an opportunity to do something, including speaking, I thought that it was important to stay here,” he said.

Illarionov said that he had a lot of reasons for his decision but outlined just three – “the change in economic policy and economic model , the change of political regime and the emergence of a corporate state”.

MORE