Putin Playing With a Full Deck

First, the anointed one, Dmitry Medvedev, moved into his appointed spot as president of Russia. Before you could say "borscht," the man who got the technocrat into the Kremlin, Vladimir Putin, assumed his promised role as prime minister. Now, Medvedev's cabinet looks oddly familiar -- it's stacked with Putin's favorites.

Al-Jazeera noticed that some other things haven't changed since the nominal power switcheroo this month:

"On Monday, Russian television footage showed the meeting where the country's leaders proclaimed a new cabinet line-up. Vladimir Putin, the incoming prime minister, was shown seated on the same side of a table that he always occupied as president, while Dmitry Medvedev, technically his new boss, occupied the side traditionally kept for subordinates.

While the cabinet contains few surprises, it certainly illustrates Putin's continued hold on power.

Key ministers who have performed well as close Putin loyalists retain their posts: Sergey Lavrov, the most visible face of Russia's foreign policy; Alexei Kudrin, who keeps hold of finance; and Anatoly Serdyukov, the defence minister.

Viktor Zubkov, a former prime minister and a longtime friend of Putin, remains as deputy prime minister and will likely take up the post of chairman of Gazprom next month.

These appointments illustrate Putin's influence in key areas. Only Sergei Ivanov takes a hit. The hawkish former first deputy prime minister becomes merely a deputy prime minister, a sign perhaps of a more moderate cabinet (or it could be something else entirely).

Also, Putin has brought key behind-the-scenes figures across from the Kremlin and into the government. The most significant, Igor Sechin, was deputy chief of staff and heads oil giant Rosneft. He is said to be a hardliner and head of the Kremlin old guard, or siloviki, a shadowy but very powerful group often believed to be the real power behind the throne."

Keep an eye on Russia, folks. Press freedom has already faded in the country, a canary in the coal mine that shows the subsequent diminishing democracy. Russia's neighbors have more reason to be nervous about this absolute power, as well.

(Photo: Russian Presidential Press and Information Office)