"Putin is staying on the sidelines in this one and probably happy to let Medvedev take the lead," said a western banker.

The rescue workers who rushed to the scene, the firefighters who charged up the stairs, the passengers who stormed the cockpit — these patriots defined the very nature of courage.

In a village recreation room, musicians practise the ear-splitting tunes which their ancestors played for Boxer braves heading into battle with the foreign "hairy ones".