In an apparent attempt to soothe both groups, Putin, who will run for president in the March 4 elections, said in an article for the Nezavisimaya Gazeta daily: "I think a special structure responsible for issues of national development, interethnic accord and interaction should be established in the system of the federal power bodies."
23 January: Russian Prime Minister Vladimir Putin has proposed establishing a new state agency on national development and interethnic accord. Interethnic issues have been prominent in the headlines in the last year, after a series of murders following cl
