TODAY: Protesters gather in Moscow ahead of Duma elections; Medvedev’s surprise university visit leads to detentions; former Moscow Mayor interview; tit-for-tat ban on U.S. officials; W.T.O. differences with E.U. resolved; Russia calls for inquiry into Gadhafi’s death; new abortion curbs; Germany arrests suspect spies.

The Other Russia estimates that 1,500 people gathered in Moscow on Saturday at a Parnas-organised rally against the unfairness of the upcoming elections.  Students at Moscow State University were detained last week for attempting to protest during a surprise, heavily stage-managed visit by President Dmitry Medvedev, who seemed not to notice.  Medvedev is becoming ‘increasingly candid’ about his relationship with Vladimir Putin, notes Bloomberg, and believes in the power of badminton. ‘Those who play badminton well, take decisions quickly.’  RFE/RL interviews former Moscow Mayor Yury Luzhkov, who refutes blame for last year’s smog and forest fires, and calls United Russia ‘shameful’.  In retaliation for the U.S. ban on officials connected with the death of Sergei Magnitsky, Russia, in turn, has blacklisted ‘dozens’ of U.S. officials thought to be linked to human rights violations.