invincible nuclear weapon in an animated video showing strikes on what appears to be florida. with tight control over the media, putin can cast himself as the defender of russia's national interests in a hostile world, and quickly shot down criticism. hardly an eyebrow was raised in 2008 when he ushered constitutional amendments extending russia's presidential term from four to six years. past protests have had little long-term impact on his popularity. opposition figures tend to be mysteriously silenced or quickly sidelined. one of putin's most prominent opponents was banned from running in this year's election. moscow citing a fraud conviction. the eu court of human rights says he was deprived of a fair trial. >> translator: he is scared of all real competition. we see in these elections that