Vladimir Putin, named "Person of the Year" by Time magazine and the man who changed Western nations' perceptions about his home country, is no longer the president of the Russian Federation.
Putin's successor, Dmitry Medvedev, has been chosen to be the most powerful man in Russia. Western media are overwhelmed with phrases like, "Putin's puppet," "Putin's heir" and "anointed successor."
But is he truly a puppet of Putin, whose democracy was hugely criticized among Western nations? It doesn't take much time to realize that although he is a good friend of Putin, he is not a puppet by any means.
Medvedev and Putin worked closely for more than 16 years and helped each other over years of uncertainty to become who they are now.Medvedev came to Moscow when Putin called him to manage his presidential campaign in 2000, and later he served as a top Kremlin aide. In 2005, he became a deputy prime minister primarily working on domestic problems.
He is a lawyer who headed Russia's energy giant Gazprom, from 2002 until 2008 when he stepped down to become president.
The two friends realized what the people of Russia have been seeking since the destruction of the Soviet Union - stability.
Eight years under Putin's rule have shown the rest of the world that Russia doesn't need a lot of time to pay off its multibillion-dollar international debt and to have an economy with 7 percent to 8 percent annual growth.
Despite the proposal to keep his presidency for a third term, Putin said that he would abide by the constitution and leave office.
The new president, Medvedev, is not like Putin. He is not a former KGB officer, but a lawyer with a Ph.D. in private law who never served in the Russian army nor any other military-related field.
Today's Russia is not as hungry for "American democracy" as it was in 1991, when oligarchs weakened the country and destroyed the pride of many Russian citizens.
Putin gave millions of Russian people stability and the ability to do what they want instead of doing something to survive.
Of course Medvedev is going to keep the same political strategy as Putin outlined in his eight-year term. He doesn't have to be Putin's puppet because he has the same vision about the future of Russia.
Mark Bondarenko is a journalism junior from Russia.
