TODAY: Mironov defends A Just Russia as St. Petersburg authorities seize party paper; Nemtsov arrested over Matviyenko protests; Putin and Medvedev fishing trip; Magnitsky sanctions won’t affect relations, says Foreign Minister; Soviet reminiscences.

Sergei Mironov is denying various stories that have cropped up about the desired political alliances of A Just Russia this week, prompting speculation that the party has become the object of a smear campaign headed by Kremlin deputy chief of staff Vladislav Surkov.  Authorities in St. Petersburg seized the latest edition of the party’s newspaper earlier this week on suspicion that it contains ‘extremist content’ (the paper had urged voters not to support Valentina Matviyenko in this Sunday’s district elections).  Boris Nemtsov has been arrested twice this week for protesting against Matviyenko, says the Other Russia, which also documents an account of opposition protesters being attacked by Nashi members – allegedly with the help of the police.  Despite Russia’s reputation for stage-managing its elections, ‘Kremlin insiders see popularity as a key to the survival of a government that […] has few stable state institutions other than its leaders’ personalities’’, says Ellen Barry.  Vladimir Putin and Dmitry Medvedev have been out fishing on the Volga river together.  Whatever the outcome of next year’s presidential elections, says Brian Whitmore, ‘this is Putin’s show’.