Medvedev keeps mum

摘要

WHEN leaders of large countries call news conferences, they usually have something to say. So when the Kremlin announced a few weeks ago that on May 18th Dmitry Medvedev, Russia's president, would hold his first press conference, on an undisclosed subject, the world's media took notice. Inside Russia, bloggers and commentators speculated on Mr Medvedev's plans. Would he announce a presidential bid for 2012? Perhaps he might even sack Vladimir Putin, the prime minister, who many expect to return to the presidency next year. Purported leaks of Mr Medvedev's speech did the internet rounds. The timing added to the intrigue: a day before the press conference a Moscow court was due to hear the appeal of Mikhail Khodorkovsky, a jailed former tycoon. (In the event, the case was conveniently postponed for a week.)