Vladimir Putin appears all but certain to return to the Kremlin in Sunday's Russian presidential election, but he will find himself in charge of a country far more willing to challenge him.
An unprecedented wave of massive protests showed a substantial portion of the population was fed up with the political entrenchment engineered by Mr Putin since he first became president in 2000, and police are already preparing for the possibility of post-election unrest in Moscow.
The Putin system of so-called "managed democracy" put liberal opposition forces under consistent pressure, allowing them only rare permission to hold small rallies and bringing squads of police to break up any unauthorised gathering.
The Kremlin gained control of all major television channels and their news reports turned into uncritical recitations of Mr Putin's programs, often augmented with admiring footage of him riding horseback, scuba-diving or petting wild animals.
But the protests, sparked by allegations of widespread fraud in December's parliamentary elections, forced notable changes.
Authorities gave permission, however grudgingly, for opposition rallies...
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