A public relations stunt; a badly-timed holiday; or a case of abduction by the secret services? Russia's papers on Wednesday were full of speculation over Ivan Rybkin's disappearance, and his reappearance five days later.
The headline in the business daily Kommersant: "He's been found!"
On the front page - a giant photograph of Mr Rybkin on his return to Moscow, looking exhausted, and wearing dark glasses.
 Mr Rybkin was in Ukraine while the Russian storm raged |
"Rybkin failed to explain his disappearance," the paper says. "It could end his presidential bid, unless he can convince his supporters and the voters that he was being held against his will."
The pro-Kremlin tabloid Komsomolskaya Pravda concluded that Ivan Rybkin's political career was now over.
"The secret services and the police had bust a gut to find him," the paper says angrily.
"And all Rybkin had been doing was taking a holiday in Kiev."
It accuses exiled tycoon Boris Berezovsky of planning the whole incident and criticises the West for believing that the Kremlin was in some way linked to Mr Rybkin's disappearance.
Most of the papers on Wednesday feature comments by Mr Rybkin's wife after she had spoken to him on the telephone.
"Poor Russia," she said.
"If people like this are trying to become it's leader."
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