Official Warns Russia May Collapse

Says Infighting By Political Elites Could Lead To Disintegration

(AP)  Infighting among top Russian political leaders, rattled by popular uprisings in three ex-Soviet republics, may cause a rift that puts Russia at risk of breaking up, President Vladimir Putin's chief of staff warned in an interview published Monday.

Analysts said the rare public comments by Dmitry Medvedev, a powerful member of Putin's inner circle, appeared to be an attempt to bolster the authority of Putin's administration.

In the interview published in the magazine Expert, Medvedev said infighting among politicians may cause Russia to collapse, leading to "horrible consequences" and making the 1991 breakup of the Soviet Union seem like a "kindergarten party."

"If we do not manage to consolidate elites, Russia may disappear as a unified state," Medvedev was quoted as saying. "And then everybody will be in trouble, including our immediate and distant neighbors."

Several political experts said his statements, which were featured prominently on evening newscasts on state-run television, were aimed at portraying the current leadership as the only one capable of effectively governing Russia.

"His message was that 'We are the Russian authorities, we are Russia's state interest and if we are forced to go, Russia will disintegrate,"' said Igor Bunin, head of the Center for Political Technologies, a Moscow think tank.