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I seriously doubt that. One of the more recent articles out of Russia, and there have been many, speaks of his he wants to form his own style office of homeland security with absolute powers. When a 16 year veteran KGB agent who celebrates Stalin's birthday says that I don't think his plans includes an armed populace.

In all intellectual honesty, even an armed populace with Kalishnikovs or bolt action WW2 red army issue rifles would not be a threat to a regime wanting to clamp down on the people. Russian leaders, tsar and commissar alike, have brought to bear heavy arms of the military (bloody sunday, etc) on its people, but any pragmatic leader, of which Putin definitely is, would see that as the first line of defense against future attacks by terrorists. And after Beslan, I believe that regardless of Putins despotic aspirations, real or imaginary, the Russian leadership has come to the conclusion that trusting the people is going to be the best way to begin to roll back the tide against the terrorists. I have read articles in Pravda that indicate they may be begining to arm pilots on Aeroflot and create a sky marshall service division of the FSB.

Don't think the russians are ignorant about small arms. One of my former teammates on my h.s. soccer team and his family immigrated from Russia, and even in the bad old days of the Soviet Union the bulk of the youth in Komosol and Young Pioneers were taught basic firearms compotency on Kalishnikovs and pistols (perhaps to create a generation of Beria-wannabes for the party, but I doubt it... the chechens have been a problem for them for time immemorial).

Even if Putin retains a tight power grip, it is not likely to be a return to communism. Remember, he was clandestinely baptized in the Orthodox Church even when he served in the KGB. It would merely be a return to normalcy for Russia away from the rampant corruption that instant liberalization of society following the fall of the USSR.

"Even if Putin retains a tight power grip, it is not likely to be a return to communism."

I totally agree...it will be his own vision of the Soviet empire.

"Remember, he was clandestinely baptized in the Orthodox Church even when he served in the KGB."

Yes, so his image makers say. I wonder if that was before his two years of Christian fellowship with the Stazi in East Germany.

Personally, I don't buy his Christianity claims. Not taking his faith lightly, I just find it very hard to believe that anyone with Christian values would support the North Korean regime, a regime that is one of the most sick and twisted in history. Or give that regime advanced missile technology and casually pass it off as being for peaceful scientific space research.

Christ broke bread with the sinners, he didn't arm evil despots.