Will Kremlin Force Prokhorov Out?

Russian media is reporting that the Kremlin is so "dissatisfied" with Mikhail Prokhorov's increasing independence that it could engineer his ouster as head of the "Right Cause" party...but Prokhorov says he's not going and blamed top Kremlin officials for a mutiny against him.  As of Wednesday night, things remain unsettled.

According to the sources quoted by Gazeta, a Moscow newspaper, "the billionaire’s habit of going his own way, without consulting his bosses, antagonized the Kremlin" and some members of his party's leadership met Tuesday night with "a representative of the Kremlin executive office."

The reports forced Prokhorov's hand. By Wednesday, Prokhorov had to call a press conference where he made the accusations against the Kremlin.  In response, an official said Prokhorov was staging a crisis to help a flagging campaign.

• Whispers of revolution at Pravoye Delo - Tom Washington - Moscow News
• Right Cause conference may bring a surprise - RIA Novosti
• Russia's Kremlin-friendly business party in chaos - Lynn Berry - AP
  
• Signs of Faux Foul Play in Russian Politics - Andrew Kramer - New York Times
  
• Prokhorov Blames Kremlin in ‘Hostile Takeover’ of His Party - Ilya Khrennikov - Bloomberg
• Prokhorov Blames Kremlin for Party ‘Coup’ - Alexandra Odynova & Alexey Eremenko - Moscow Times
• Russia oligarch Prokhorov enters politics, raising suspicion - Sergei Loiko - Los Angeles Times
• Billionaire politician says Kremlin replaced his allies with 'doubles' - Shaun Walker - The Independent