In an interview with the New York Times and in a posting on his personal blog, Mikhail Prokhorov admitted that he was naive getting into Russian politics but declined to blame either Prime Minister Vladimir Putin or President Dmitry Medvedev, instead claiming their aides are fighting among themselves.
"In Russia, all fights are on the inside," the Nets' owner told the Times, who described him as "displaying his usual, uncanny calm." Prokhorov said the Russian president approached him last spring about joining the political fray but he quickly learned the real power was Vladislav Surkov, a Putin aide who insisted he follow the Kremlin script, then engineered his ouster. He said other aides congratulated him on his speech.
In his blog post, Prokhorov mixed metaphors from sports ("game over") and "the Godfather" ("nothing personal, just business") to illuminate what happened to him. But he continues to speak out. Saturday night, he spoke to several thousand largely appreciative students at a concert hall near Moscow. A number reportedly thanked him for his efforts...asked him to continue.
- Prokhorov Ousted as Party Leader Cites Kremlin Discord - Andrew Kramer - New York Times
- Game Over (Google Translate) - Mikhail Prokhorov - Live Journal
-
Kremlin shows it's still boss - Timothy Heritage - Reuters