It was then his successor, Jadranka Kosor who opened the way for investigations into Mr Sanader and other top officials.

The imposing Mr Prokhorov received airtime on state television and an audience with Mr Medvedev (see picture).

Professor Leonid Sokolov of the St Petersburg State University told the RiaNovosti website: ‘Apophis will approach Earth at a distance of 37,000-38,000 kilometres (per hour) on April 13, 2029.