MOSCOW: Russia?s Communists on Tuesday appealed to President Vladimir Putin in an open letter accusing Kremlin "provocateurs" of running a smear campaign against their presidential candidate. The Communist Party chose a new face for the March 18 polls, opting for businessman Pavel Grudinin rather than veteran leader Gennady Zyuganov. The party complains that Grudinin has faced a barrage of negative coverage in state-controlled and pro-Kremlin media, focusing on his foreign bank accounts and property.