TODAY: Trifonova death due to medical error? Gay rights activist slams St Petersburg bill; Tajik President orders release of Russian pilot; border conflicts could turn nuclear? Lavrov likens Syria situation to civil war; Serbs appeal to Russia; Berlusconi, bromance, Bolshoi.

The Investigative Committee says that the death of Vera Trifonova in pretrial detention was due to medical error rather than, as her family believes, a withholding of medical care.  Nikolai Alexeyev, head of the rights group GayRussia.ru, has condemned the St Petersburg bill that would prohibit ‘propaganda of homosexuality’ to minors, arguing that it will almost certainly be used to shut down ‘any public actions by the LGBT community’.  The bill is being backed by United Russia, which helped it pass its first reading (of three).  The President of Tajikistan has ordered the release of a Russian pilot initially sentenced to eight years in jail for violation of airspace, following Russia’s retaliatory expelling of Tajik migrant labourers.  A top military officer says that Russia is facing a heightened risk of being drawn into border conflicts that ‘may develop into a full-scale war involving nuclear weapons’.  The new IEA resolution on Iran, obtained ahead of a final vote, makes concessions to Russia and China in omitting an ultimatum.