TODAY: Putin picks Nabiullina as new central bank head; Kremlin wages doubled; trust in government officials low; European Court cases drop after Russian lawyers are sent in; Navalny tender complaint found valid; Bolshoi dancers write open letter of support for accused; nuclear space explosives?

President Vladimir Putin named Elvira Nabiullina as the new head of the central bank, which will make her the first female central banker for a G8 country. Critics suggest that ‘loyal technocrat’ Nabiullina will show no independence from Putin.  A Washington analyst called her ‘a safe pair of hands […] very much a part of the liberal democratic establishment in Moscow’.  Key Kremlin staff wages have been almost doubled, a bid to get them in line with those of military and security officials, according to Putin’s spokesperson, Dmitry Peskov, who also pointed out that the higher wages came at the expense of certain perks.  The Guardian reports on the Kremlin’s ongoing ‘renovation’ that has seen it lose its ‘most egregious offenders’ in recent months.  This includes a slew of officials who have been accused of plagiarism.  A new think tank survey suggests that only 5% of Russians believe that their government officials tell the truth, whilst separate research says that Putin will likely be unable to fulfill all of his pre-election promises, given that the current pace of reform cannot support economic growth of 5-6%.  New proposals discussed by Prime Minister Dmitry Medvedev’s cabinet would force strategic companies to reveal their beneficiary owners.