Controversial Russian Blogger Says Met With Kremlin Officials

Did President Dmitry Medvedev (right) have his aide Vladislav Surkov meet with the controversial blogger?

MOSCOW -- A controversial Russian blogger who considers himself a fascist claims he met with the deputy chief of Russia's presidential office, Vladislav Surkov, to discuss his ideas, RFE/RL's Russian Service reports.

Maksim Kalashnikov, who has written in his blog that fascism is "mankind's future," told RFE/RL that in mid-September President Dmitry Medvedev asked the Russian government's chief of staff, Sergei Sobyanin, to look at some proposals that were e-mailed to the president by Kalashnikov.

On October 7, Kalashnikov said he met with Sobyanin in Moscow and it was agreed that Kalashnikov would present his ideas on the organization of "new autonomous towns in Russia."

Kalashnikov wrote in his blog on December 4 that he met with Surkov and presented his ideas about "the establishment of a public agency to create a new political force oriented toward the innovation and further development of Russia."

Kalashnikov refused to comment to RFE/RL about the specifics of his meeting with Surkov, but said all that information is in his blog.

Meanwhile, Surkov told RFE/RL that he does not know Kalashnikov and has never met with him.