A row over distributing jobs in Russia's parliament grew more heated yesterday, with centrists and reformers maintaining a boycott of the Duma.
The dispute shifted attention from another day of fierce fighting in Chechnya, where the Chechen rebels sustained heavy losses, but claimed to have killed a senior Russian general.
Mr Putin ignored calls to take a public stand on the row in the Duma, which was prompted by an unexpected deal between Unity, a recently-created party closely aligned to the Acting President, and the Communists. The uproar risks denting the public image which has made Mr Putin runaway favourite in an early presidential election in March.
Mr Putin steered clear of the controversy at a cabinet meeting, delivering what has become his standard law and order pitch to press forward with reforms.
"Reforms should be carried out under tough control and the state should be directly involved in the process," he said in comments broadcast on television. "We need to strengthen state institutions."
Three major parliamentary factions who were all but shut out of top jobs in Tuesday's unruly opening session of the newly elected State Duma vowed to stay away from sessions unless the distribution of committee posts was reconsidered.
Those staying away from the session include some of Mr Putin's potentially most dangerous election rivals - FatherlandAll Russia under the former prime minister, Mr Yevgeny Primakov, and Yabloko under the liberal economist, Mr Grigory Yavlinsky.
Mr Yavlinsky has already said he will challenge Mr Putin on March 26th, while Mr Primakov has not ruled out a run at the presidency.
Also in the boycott is the reformist Union of Right-Wing Forces under the former prime minister, Mr Sergei Kiriyenko, which formed an tactical alliance with Mr Putin in the December election.
Commentators are split over whether the deal between his allies and the Communists would hurt Mr Putin's election chances.
Almost two-thirds of Russian voters plan to vote in favour of Mr Putin in the March elections, according to an opinion poll published by the Interfax news agency yesterday.
Meanwhile, a general leading Russia's assault on Grozny was yesterday posted missing in action and possibly dead in the starkest and most politically damaging setback to Moscow's campaign in Chechnya.
Troops said Gen Mikhail Malofeyev was captured on Tuesday during fighting in Grozny and defence officials in Moscow confirmed the officer, one of their most senior commanders in Chechnya, was missing in action.
ITAR-TASS later cited military-sources as saying that Gen Malofeyev was shot dead by sniper bullets when he and a small group of Russian troops toured north-west Grozny's Staroromyslovsky district.
The Chechen warlord, Mr Shamil Basayev, announced on rebel television that the general was still alive and being questioned by fighters in a secret location outside the besieged city. The Russian loss presents the most serious blow to Moscow's morale since it deployed ground troops to quell the rebellious republic on October 1st.
It came against the backdrop of fierce street fighting in Grozny that has caused heavy casualties on both sides.
Interfax cited Russian military sources as saying 23 soldiers had been killed and 53 wounded in the past 24 hours.
The Council of Europe renewed sharp criticism of Russia's war in Chechnya yesterday but stepped back from sanctions, instead urging Mr Putin to accept international observers in the zone.
Russian soldiers have been raping Chechen women in areas of Russian-controlled Chechnya, Human Rights Watch charged yesterday.