TODAY: Russia refuses to shift on Syria despite mounting criticism; EU leaders set to work on Putin at St Petersburg summit; authorities seek to knuckle down on activists’ use of social media; teacher fined for whistle-blowing on election fraud. Think tank suggests Russians not so divided over the nation’s political future; farewell Mr Trololo

Following a meeting with German and French leaders in Paris, Russia reportedly agreed to increase pressure on the Syrian government, though disagreements between French President Francois Hollande and President Putin on the need for sanctions were made clear.  US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton has argued that Moscow appears to support the Assad regime.  On Friday the Kremlin defended the theory that the Houla massacre was a ‘well-planned action by militants’ as opposed to government forces.  President Putin has denied that weapons Russia supplied to Damascus were for the purpose of killing rebels.  Following a conversation with Kofi Annan, Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov reiterated his belief that there is no alternative to the Annan plan.  It is expected that at today’s Russia-EU summit in St. Petersburg, where Putin will meet with European Council President Herman van Rompuy and European Commission President Jose Manuel Barroso, that European powers will press the President to change his stance on Assad.  ‘[I]t’s unclear what leverage the European institutions could bring to force a change of strategy in Moscow’ argues the New York Times.  These doubts are, it would seem, shared by the head of the US House of Representatives Foreign Affairs Committee.