Russian press predicts tycoon's demise

Berezovsky is losing influence in the Kremlin

Russian tycoon Boris Berezovsky's decision to resign from parliament has prompted some of the country's press to predict his downfall.

"In effect this means the departure of the 'grey cardinal' of Boris Yeltsin's regime," Izvestiya said.

The oligarchs are a dying breed

Izvestiya

"He has realized that he has no place in Putin's team."

Berezovsky's position was symptomatic of the waning power of the oligarchs in general, the daily maintained.

"The attempt to set up a 'constructive opposition' of oligarchs and governors headed by Berezovsky is doomed to failure," it said.

"These are a dying breed, and they cannot effectively resist the president's plans to reform the entire system of political and economic power."

Bridges burned

Novaya Gazeta said that now there was no way back for Berezovsky into the Kremlin.

Putin has no place for Berezovsky

"Berezovsky's unprecedented attack on the president on all fronts means that he has realized that the bridges linking him with the Kremlin, and with Putin, have been burned," it said.

He was now in a no-win situation, it added. "Boris Abramovich is in a zugzwang, as they say in chess," it said.

"Every move he makes only worsens his position."

Empty gesture

Moskovsky Komsomolets said that Berezovsky, who is himself under investigation for tax irregularities, had made an empty gesture in giving up his parliamentary immunity, because MPs would cheerfully have waived it anyway.

"Boris Abramovich knows that no immunity can save him," it said.

"At the first opportunity the Duma will gladly surrender the oligarch because there is no-one in the country more unpopular."

Crackdown on oligarchs

Berezovsky's announcement seemed to echo press reports last week on a crackdown on the oligarchs.

Berezovsky's words are laughable for the man in the street

Izvestiya

Komsomolskaya Pravda spoke of two scenarios: either "a massive and final 'cleansing' planned for the autumn of all 'bad' oligarchs" or mass protests by Putin's supporters which would destroy his opponents.

And several newspapers ominously compared the current situation to the end of the 1920s, when Stalin reversed Lenin's New Economic Policy (NEP), which had contained some free-market elements.

"When at the end of the 1920s the Soviet regime got down to winding up NEP some of the class enemies were extremely lucky," Moskovsky Komsomolets said.

"They were not just graciously allowed to hand over everything they had but even to stay at their former plants or factories as hired specialists."

Laughable words

But some newspapers took Berezovsky's prophesies of doom with a pinch of salt.

"Berezovsky's words about the collapse of the country and authoritarianism are laughable for the man in the street," Izvestiya said.

"After all, it is Berezovsky who has been named as one of the main culprits of the crisis in Russian statehood and in the economy as well."

Novaya Gazeta was surprised by what it saw as his clumsy attempts to evoke the spirit of democracy.

"Berezovsky's youthful fervour and his leap into the breach in the name of democracy and truth are amazing," it said.

"He's used to coming to terms for surrender, or buying seemingly inaccessible fortresses - as was the case with several anti-Berezovsky newspapers."

BBC Monitoring, based in Caversham in southern England, selects and translates information from radio, television, press, news agencies and the Internet from 150 countries in more than 70 languages.