Tycoon's move: Power or principle?

Is Boris Berezovsky's move a principled one?

By Russian Affairs Analyst Stephen Dalziel

The announcement by Russian tycoon Boris Berezovsky that he is resigning his seat in the lower house of parliament, the State Duma, is being interpreted in two very different ways.

Some believe that he is making a stand against what he considers President Vladimir Putin's authoritarian ways.

But others say that he is worried about Mr Putin's intentions to take power away from the so-called "oligarchs".

Vladimir Gusinsky is being investigated under the Putin crackdown

Boris Berezovsky is possibly the richest man in Russia.

And by announcing his resignation because he does not want to participate in "the destruction of Russia and the introduction of an authoritarian regime", he is trying to show that he is one of the most principled, too.

But most things that concern Mr Berezovsky are also linked to power: the power behind the Russian president.

Yeltsin backer

In 1996, Mr Berezovsky helped finance Boris Yeltsin's election campaign.

For the whole of his second term in office, Mr Yeltsin was beholden to Mr Berezovsky for this.

But before his election this year, Mr Putin did not run an election campaign.

The new president has also vowed to combat corruption, and is determined to put power firmly back into the hands of Russia's elected representatives.

That means taking it away from the "oligarchs" - the shadowy figures behind the scenes who have controlled so much of Russia's money and influence in recent years.

Media-Most

An investigation was started recently into the activities of the Media-Most group, run by another of the oligarchs, Vladimir Gusinsky.

And Mr Berezovsky's criticisms since then of the arrest of Mr Gusinsky, and of Mr Putin's style, suggest that he is worried that Mr Putin may be about to knock him off his perch.

But resigning from parliament is also a challenge to the president, because Mr Berezovsky will lose his immunity from prosecution.

It certainly appears that he is seeking a confrontation with Mr Putin - something which could make or break Mr Putin's presidency.