In the late 1990s, as Boris Yeltsin faded, some now-exiled oligarchs — Vladimir Gusinsky and Boris Berezovsky — toyed with the idea of Mr. Mikhalkov as a presidential candidate. Perhaps sensing a vacuum now, the director, who is known for being outspoken politically and professionally, in October sent the Kremlin a 63-page manifesto outlining his “enlightened conservative” vision of Russia.

http://www.nytimes.com/2010/12/29/arts/29iht-MIKHA29.html?_r=1&ref=russiahttp://www.nytimes.com/2010/12/29/arts/29iht-MIKHA29.html?ref=russia