Siloviki in a Panic

In an opinion editorial in The Moscow Times Alexander Golts, deputy editor of the online newspaper Yezhednevny Zhurnal, says that the siloviki are in a panic in Russia. While President-elect Vladimir Putin and outgoing President Dmitry Medvedev discuss upcoming government appointments, senior officials at various ministries are going batty wondering who will determine their fate. Due to the opaque nature of their security agencies and their absolute lack of accountability before the people, the struggle between siloviki clans is particularly fierce.