Medvedev to replace Putin's hardliners

Moscow: President Dmitry Medvedev is preparing to clear out officials loyal to Vladimir Putin after drawing up a list of potential replacements for hardliners in the Russian government.

The creation of a list of allies dubbed the "Golden 100" signals Mr Medvedev's determination to assert his authority and build his own power base. It comes amid a growing split with his predecessor, the prime minister

Sources told The Sunday Telegraph that Mr Medvedev is poised to fire a raft of top officials, including regional governors appointed by Mr Putin, as the Kremlin seeks a scapegoat to ease growing public unrest over the country's devastated economy.

Mr Medvedev is then expected to pluck replacements from the Golden 100, capitalising on growing discontent to build his sway over Mr Putin's hand-picked government at the same time. "He is trying to build his own basis of support," said Lilia Shevtsova, an analyst at Moscow's Carnegie Centre.

The 100 men and women included in the list, the first of 1,000 due to be recruited, mark a distinct break from the officials favoured by Mr Putin, a former KGB spy who filled his government with intelligence officers and allies from his native St Petersburg.

Mr Medvedev has so far made few appointments since taking over the presidency from Mr Putin a year ago.

The Golden 100 are all under the age of 50 and have relatively liberal leanings. Not one has served in the KGB or its successor, the FSB.

"There are efforts in the presidential administration to try to establish reserves of people for the highest positions in government, state corporations and state universities," said Andrei Volkov, one of the 100 and dean of Skolkovo, a new Moscow business school whose board is chaired by Mr Medvedev.

"When they need somebody, they don't want to take him from nowhere," said Mr Volkov. "It's a great signal of changing policy and people inside the government and presidential administration."