Putin's successor, Dmitry Medvedev, has declared he will not take part in joint events including a live television debate with his rivals.

"Dmitry Medvedev has informed the Central Election Commission about his decision not to take part in joint events," a member of his campaign staff said.

His opponents have criticized the move and said it would make it even harder for opposition candidates to gain airtime to get across their views.

Although official campaign rules envisage live TV debates among candidates, Putin and his United Russia have refused to take part in past elections saying they saw no worthy partners to debate with.

The 42-year-old lawyer is already way ahead of all hopefuls in opinion polls and is expected to dominate the 2nd of March presidential elections.

MT/RA