by Nina Achmatova

Various political groups are united by the emergency in Krasnodar. Rally is being organised for mid-July to take advantage of the anger over the tragedy and higher fees.

Moscow (AsiaNews) - The ruling United Russia party and the opposition have put aside their differences and are working together to bring aid to Krymsk, the city that took the brunt of the floods of 6 July. For analysts, this is just a respite as anti-Putin forces change agenda. The tragedy in Krasnodar could revive the fortunes of the protest movement, turning July in a "hot" month for the Kremlin.

Russian media have reported with surprise about cooperation between opposition Duma member Sergey Pnomarev (A Just Russia), who lead anti-government demonstrations back in December, and majority leader, Robert Shlegel (United Russia), both of whom travelled to the affected region where they could be seen handing out aid side by side. In fact, both Shlegel and Pnomarev emphasized that political differences should take a backseat during a national emergency.

The death toll now stands at 172 although it is unclear whether the figure includes the missing as well.

Some 2,500 individuals joined in the efforts to collect, transport and distribute aid to the region from Russia's various regions.

Online, some call it the biggest private volunteer movement in the country's history. For many, it is the first time to volunteer.

Slowly, a civil society is emerging in a society that until recently sociologists saw dominated by cynicism and social apathy, especially among the younger generations.

News website Lenta.Ru noted that volunteer push to help flood-hit region mirrors that of last December, when people took to the streets demanding "clean elections".

A volunteer told the Moscow Times that he hoped to see the spirit of cooperation survive the rescue operations. As Solidarity co-leader Ilya Yashin noted, few believe that political harmony among volunteers will last for very long, especially since elections are scheduled in Krymsk this fall. In December, he was arrested several times for participating in demonstrations.

Pictures showing members of rival parties working together might be last. Opposition group have promised a "hot July" of protests, disregarding a call for a summer truce made by a top Putin critic, blogger Alexei Navalny.

The idea is too use the tragedy, which was apparently caused by the decision to open a dam near Krymsk to save the bigger and more strategic city of Novorossisk, to pursue the anti-Putin campaign.

Few analysts believe that protest organisers will be able to attract more than 10,000 people in Moscow on 14 July because of the summer season.

Even so, as the protest movement changes its agenda, it is likely to attract more supporters this the fall.

Sergey Markov, deputy rector of the Plekhanov Russian University of Economics, has argued in fact that Putin's opponents are starting to shift their strategy to include social problems that are of greatest interest to average Russians, such as flood compensation, pensions, higher utility fees and the economic crisis.

On 1 July, the cost of many utilities went up, and this is expected to cause a new wave of protests.

• russia
• krasnodar
• flood
• crisis
• protests