Sitting Tight

Russian parliamentarians have challenged the well-orchestrated government plan to relocate the country’s Parliament and other key institutions to the outskirts of Moscow. Former President Dmitry Medvedev hatched the plan in June of last year as a way to reduce pressure on the capital's over-stretched infrastructure. The Kremlin also hopes that decongesting the city center will eventually help to turn Moscow into an international financial hub, a key part of its modernization drive.