Well, not in person but yes.
+1. As a person living in Moscow i am sure of that. Of course Putin personally didn't needed that, Russian opposition is relatively weak now, but Putinism - very much so. Putinism doesn't tolerate REAL opposition.
Actually, that weakness suggests its unlikely Putin himself ordered this. Perhaps some underling hoping to impress him, but not Putin himself. Not that I think Putin will be upset by this. Quite the contrary. He gets rid of an irritant and if he ever has reason to dispose of that underling, he has a way to do it now while giving some ammunition to his apologists in the West.
