TODAY: Confusion over raid on Navalny supporters; ruble hits low; customs exit poses problems; Statoil looking to beat Gazprom with spot prices; schools close due to lack of children; bloggers target Mizulina, athletes clam up.

Following a complaint from a rival, police carried out a raid on supporters of the Moscow mayoral opposition candidate Alexei Navalny yesterday, arresting four members of grassroots group ‘Navalny’s Brothers’, and confiscating alleged illegally-funded leaflets, posters, and stickers.  Initial reports that the police arrived in response to a fire threat have been dismissed; Navalny’s campaign headquarters said that they had no connection with the confiscated materials.  In any case, Navalny’s approval rating currently ‘is higher than authorities thought it would be’, and 40% of the city’s population are anticipating dirty tricks at the September vote.  New detention camps for Moscow’s illegal immigrants are ‘a gift to Muscovites’ from Vladimir Putin in a bid to boost the popularity of his protege, Sergei Sobyanin, says Bloomberg.  The Kremlin is banning a higher percentage of parties from regional elections this year than last.