Putin Is Culling His Inner Circle

In recent weeks, Russian President Vladimir Putin, who is known for his loyalty to long-time associates, has left some of his friends vulnerable to attack. This is a new stage of Putin's rule: He now can only trust his security apparatus -- and not even all of it.

In December, the owner of a posh Moscow cafe had an argument about fees with a designer. Both women had influential friends, and they came to the cafe for a discussion: Emissaries of Shakro the Young, a mob kingpin, on the designer's side, and retired security officers spoke for the cafe owner. The dispute got ugly, and a shootout ensued. Two of Shakro's representatives were arrested, and he apparently tried to get them freed. Investigators from the FSB secret police claim they traced these efforts to General Denis Nikandrov, deputy head of the Moscow branch of the Investigative Committee -- the Russian equivalent of the Federal Bureau of Investigation.