Regional Governors under the Dual Power of Medvedev and Putin

The over-centralized unitary model of centre–regional relations that was developed under President Vladimir Putin has not substantially changed under the new dual leadership of Dmitrii Medvedev and Putin. Although the provincial governors have now been successfully integrated into the Kremlin's vertical chain of command, the weakening of their institutional and personal powers has made them a weak link, and it has also made the chain itself weaker, especially during a time of economic crisis. By making governors more and more dependent on the centre, the Kremlin may have succeeded in creating power steering for the driving wheel; however, the connection between the driving wheel and the other wheels has become much weaker.