An article by Peter Finn in yesterday’s Washington Post makes an interesting point about Yelena Valyavina’s surprising confession in late May about Kremlin interference in the courts: now we’re at least allowed to talk about rule of law and legal reform in Russia, which some are taking as an optimistic sign of the new Medvedev era. As Finn writes in his article, the fact that Valyavina’s boss, Anton Ivanov, is one of Medvedev’s closest supporters is “not lost on anyone,” and given that there is zero disagreement between Putin and Medvedev on foreign affairs or security issues, legal reform could be his “instrument” to build his own individual popularity and support, playing to the popular discontent with the corrupt and inefficient courts. It’s an interesting theory, accompanied by both supportive and damaging evidence.