In an announcement that has “baffled many analysts”, Vladimir Putin has said he would accept the job of prime minister next year if Dmitri Medvedev became Russia’s next president. The strategy, announced at the United Russia party congress this week, is “risky, and could cripple Medvedev’s presidency.” While Putin says that there would be no redistribution of authority, one analyst commented that “de facto there will almost certainly be a change, simply because the prime minister will be Vladimir Putin.” Medvedev’s lack of connections with the Federal Security Services (FSB) “creates a whole series of problems regarding his chances of becoming the next president.”