TODAY: Opposition fears further crackdowns as arrests divide opinion; Putin dismisses protest link with election fraud, Gorbachev calls for the possibility of new vote; Irina Prokhorova interview; Pussy Riot members on hunger strike in custody; Syria stance unlikely to change; Obama in missile shield concessions. 

Opposition leaders are vowing to carry out more anti-government protests, as protesters detained on Monday face fines and the authorities are suspected of planning to use the protest ‘to paint the opposition as extremist’.  Many have criticised the police for treating protesters roughly, with activists more broadly concerned that violence and suppression will escalate in coming months.  Opposition leaders Sergei Udaltsov and Alexei Navalny appeared in court yesterday to face charges connected with their part in the protests.  A number of anti-Kremlin figures have criticised the pair for refusing to leave the ‘showdown’ in Pushkin Square.  Vladimir Putin has acknowledged some election ‘violations’, but dismissed the idea that they had anything to do with Monday’s protests, as former Soviet leader Mikhail Gorbachev said the possibility of holding a new election should be discussed.  The League of Voters has called the election results ‘an insult to civil society’.  The Guardian examines the foreign policy implications of Putin’s win and how Western leaders will be affected.  What does the future hold for Gennady Zyuganov, who ‘faces numerous challenges to stay relevant’?