Russian Duma expels anti-Putin lawmaker. Sign of a coming crackdown?

Gudkov's son, Dmitry, is also a Duma deputy who has taken an active role in the protest movement. So has Ilya Ponomaryov, another Just Russia deputy, who says he fears they may be next in line for expulsion.

Mr. Ponomaryov says the Kremlin's actions since Putin returned to power for a third presidential term last May have polarized Russian society and split the elite.

Among these are a raft of draconian new legislation passed by the Duma's United Russia majority, including tough penalties for anyone engaging in non-permitted protests, severe restrictions on politically-active non-governmental organizations if they receive any foreign funding, and a potentially sweeping Internet law that would give authorities the power – and infrastructure – to summarily shut down any website.

The summer trial and harsh two-year prison sentence handed down to the three young women of Pussy Riot, whose crime was to perform a "blasphemous" song in an empty church, has also sharply moved the bar on what constitutes an imprisonable offense in Russia.

"Without openly declaring dictatorship, this is the way the authorities are using to create an appearance of being in control," says Ponomaryov.

"But all the political mechanisms for governing with any semblance of popular consent have been destroyed. There is no longer any legitimate way to effect changes. The Kremlin's behavior is splitting the elite, and this is creating a real threat to stability," he adds.

Gleb Pavlovsky, a former Putin adviser and image-maker, says the system is rapidly deteriorating into "rule by No. 1."

"I see a transition toward extraordinary measures, both in legislation and style of leadership," Mr. Pavlovsky says. "Neither a political nor an economic strategy for the country has been formulated [since Putin came back into office]. The government is completely passive and everyone is afraid to make a move without Putin's say-so."

The only other deputy ever to be expelled from the Duma was Sergei Mavrodi, mastermind of a 1990s pyramid scheme that defrauded millions of Russians. He was elected to the Duma in 1994 on promises that he would use his parliamentary status to legislate restitution for his victims, but the Duma annulled his immunity the next year.

There are no legal charges of any kind outstanding against Gudkov, though his supporters fear some will materialize now that he's been ejected from the Duma.

"Gudkov's case has crossed the line that separated Putin from [Belarussian dictator Alexander] Lukashenko," says Boris Nemtsov, a former deputy prime minister and opposition leader. "It means that a person who was elected with the support of millions of Russians has been stripped of his mandate by a mere headcount in the Duma."

Mr. Nemtsov says that Gudkov has agreed to take part in Saturday's planned opposition rally in downtown Moscow, where he will likely receive a hero's welcome.

"For us, it means that a person from the system has joined our ranks. We expect many more."

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