TODAY: United Russia continues attack on Russia’s only independent election watchdog; opposition bemoans threats of violence; ruling party makes pact with ‘opposition’ for seats?  South Ossetia election dispute continues; ailing businesswoman’s detention period extended; lawyer to take on aviation safety board; teen suicides

Following on from Putin’s criticisms of ‘foreign-sponsored bodies’ at his UR congress speech on Sunday, the authorities have apparently continued to menace independent election watchdog Golos.  Details of how the campaign has worked emerged during a news conference yesterday with Golos director Liliya Shibanova who spoke of security services ‘exerting colossal pressure’ on its regional directors, in one case even ‘prompting the group to hire a psychologist to help cope with the stress‘.  The watchdog’s deputy director, Grigory Melkonyants, has called it ‘a well-thought-out national campaign’ in an article in the Washington Post.  Meanwhile the ‘opposition’ have launched an attacked too, with lawmakers from the Liberal Democratic Party and A Just Russia (as well as UR)  demanding an investigation into whether the watchdog received U.S. financing.