Russian Prime Minister Vladimir Putin chairs a meeting in Moscow, on September 26, 2011. The announcement at the weekend that Putin, currently prime minister, will stand for president in 2012 and current Kremlin incumbent Dmitry Medvedev take the post of prime minister, sparked no mass protest actions in Russia. AFP PHOTO/ RIA-NOVOSTI/ YANA LAPIKOVA

Russia's Prime Minister Vladimir Putin speaks at the congress of Russia's ruling party in Moscow, on September 24, 2011.Russian President Dmitry Medvedev stunningly announced today that Putin should return to the Kremlin in 2012 elections for a new six-year mandate. AFP PHOTO / NATALIA KOLESNIKOVA

Russia's Prime Minister Vladimir Putin speaks during a meeting with activists of the Popular Front, a civic movement connected with Putin's United Russia party, in Moscow, on September 21, 2011. AFP PHOTO / NATALIA KOLESNIKOVA

Russian Prime Minister Vladimir Putin speaks as he takes part in a conference devoted to issues concerning disabled people, organized by the People's Front movement in Moscow on August 19, 2011. AFP PHOTO / POOL / ALEXANDER ZEMLIANICHENKO

Russian Prime Minister Vladimir Putin gestures while speaking during a media conference at EU headquarters in Brussels, Thursday, Feb. 24, 2011. (AP Photo/Virginia Mayo)

Russia's Prime Minister Vladimir Putin during a joint press conference with European Commission President Jose Manuel Barroso at the European Commission headquarters in Brussels, Belgium on Thursday, February 24, 2011. Photo by Eric Vidal/ABACAPRESS.COM