Moscow’s pro-democracy street protests are losing momentum. But the country’s political reawakening is not over – it will simply take on different forms. And in this next stage, Russia’s regions may start to play as important a role as the capital’s middle-class marchers.

A critical concession offered by the Kremlin since December’s post-election protests is the return of direct elections for regional governors. Vladimir Putin replaced these after the 2004 Beslan terrorist siege with presidential appointments, supposedly to strengthen security.

Outgoing president Dmitry Medvedev proposed their return in a package of political reforms in December. Gleb Pavlovsky, a former Kremlin political adviser, says Mr Putin deeply disliked the idea, but went along with it because the street crowds had rattled the leadership.