VLADIMIR PUTIN

Vladimir Putin declared victory in Sunday's election, but it remains to be seen how much power he'll wield over his country's vast stockpiles of oil and natural gas when he returns to the presidency in May.

Thousands of protesters gathered in Moscow and other Russian cities to denounce what they considered an unfair electoral victory Sunday by Vladimir Putin, who will return to his country's presidency in May.

The man who will soon cede the Russian presidency to his mentor has been promised the prime minister's job once the next Putin government is formed. But will the proposed swap happen once the new president is inaugurated in May?

Vladimir Putin, now prime minister, claimed a resounding victory with 64 percent of the vote in Russia's presidential election Sunday. He'll return to a third term as president, but opponents, citing alleged evidence of fraud, denounced the vote as illegitimate and vowed to continue their protests.

The former Yukos chief's lawyer says news that outgoing Russian President Dmitry Medvedev has told prosecutors to review the conviction may be simply a formal decision, not meaning anything, or it may be a signal from above that they have decided to close the Khodorkovsky and [Platon] Lebedev cases.

Vladimir Putin triumphed in Russia's presidential election on Sunday and, tears rolling down his cheeks, called his victory a turning point that had prevented the country falling into the hands of enemies.

Vladimir Putin, now prime minister, claimed a resounding victory with 64 percent of the vote in Russia's presidential election Sunday. He'll return to a third term as president, but opponents, citing alleged evidence of fraud, denounced the vote as illegitimate and vowed to continue their protests.

Vladimir Putin, the current prime minister and former president, is all set to win a third presidential term in the presidential elections Sunday. In the absence of strong opponents, the election is widely considered as a one-sided battle in favor of Putin.

Many Russians reportedly feel that there is no alternative to Putin in a vote that opponents say is skewed in his favour.

When the Soviet era political permafrost melted gradually over the ten years after the 1991 collapse of the red star, the relic -- the holy relic -- that emerged was Vladimir Putin, the successor chosen by Boris Yeltsin at the end of a senselessly chaotic decade.

The foreign ministry in Moscow even asserted it will not move to protect Assad and his regime in the event that the west and other Arab powers intervene militarily in Syria.

The former KGB-man spoke of how he was favored by a majority of Russians, with recent polls putting his popularity at around 60 percent.

A Red Cross aid convoy prepared to enter the shattered Baba Amro district of the city of Homs, Syria, on Friday after a government official declared the area cleansed and the opposition spoke of a massacre by President Bashar al-Assad's forces. Rebels withdrew Thursday in a key moment in the year-old uprising.

Chevron executives met this week with Russian government representatives about possible oil exploration by the U.S. company in Russia's Arctic.

On the eve of presidential elections, Vladimir Putin is claiming that his opponents might use murder and ballot stuffing to tarnish the vote.

With less than a week until presidential elections in Russia, the validity of the assassination attempt on Prime Minister Vladimir Putin is being called into question.

The Russian prime minister's admonition comes despite reassurances from U.S. Secretary of State Hilary Clinton, who said any foreign intervention could lead to a civil war in Syria.

Authorities in Ukraine arrested three men suspected in an assassination plot targeting Russia's Prime Minister Vladimir Putin, according to Russian state-owned Channel One television.

Syrian President Bashar al-Assad's referendum for a new constitution allegedly contrived with the predominant aim of staying in power until 2028 was referred to as a sick joke by his opponents in the wake of bloodshed that coincided with the vote.

Syria is expected to announce a vote of approval for constitutional changes on Monday when it announces the result of a referendum dismissed as a sham by opponents of President Bashar al-Assad.

At least 59 Syrian civilians and soldiers were killed Sunday in bloodshed that coincided with a vote on a new constitution that could keep President Bashar al-Assad in power until 2028.