Transparency International’s Corruption Perceptions Index lists Russia as 154th out of 178 countries, making it the worst of the G20 nations and ‘the most corrupt major economy‘; its rating is lower this year than it was in 2009 (click for full results).  Yelena Panfilova called Russian corruption ‘a situation of national shame.  How can a country claiming to be a world leader be in such a position?‘  The report draws attention to one of the biggest problems facing economic development in the country, says the Washington Post.  ‘Some people like to put all the blame on me for destroying the Soviet Union, but that is not true.‘ Mikhail Gorbachev has spoken to the BBC about Boris Yeltsin and Afghanistan, and criticizes the current Russian leadership and the problems faced by democracy in Russia, putting particular emphasis on the lack of democratic elections for regional governors.  Moscow Mayor Sergei Sobyanin’s newly appointed government kept many of Yury Luzkhov’s previous officials, although analysts anticipate that they will all be gradually replaced.  The Moscow Times has details of the new appointments and individual roles.