TODAY: Journalist barred from Russia blames Rusal criticism; election watchdog victim of smear campaign?  Russia’s opposition gears up for failure.  South Ossetia presidential elections disputed; Medvedev opens new missile warning station; reset in trouble; Russians don’t like NATO, says new poll.  Spying.

Australian-American journalist John Helmer has apparently been barred entry to Russia, in what he claims is revenge for refusing to take a bribe from Oleg Deripaska’s RusAl in exchange for favorable coverage of the metals giant.  Russia’s only independent elections watchdog Golos, which is partly financed by European and American agencies, has accused state-run media of attempting to tarnish its reputation in the run-up to Sunday’s elections.  The leader of the Russian Communist Party, Gennady Zyuganov, has told Vedemosti that vote rigging could create an equivalence between Putin’s regime and that of toppled Egyptian leader Hosni Mubarak.  BBC Monitoring has a useful profile of each of the seven parties seeking to win seats in the State Duma.  Brian Whitmore looks at the origins of Putin’s legitimacy on the Power Vertical.  A lack of independence from the executive is one of numerous reasons why parliamentary opposition remains ‘unconvincing’ says Open Democracy.  Vote Navalny, says Yulia Latynina.  Is the Kremlin attempting to massage the results of the presidential election in South Ossetia, which did not go its way?  RFE/RL reports that around 60 people have staged a protest in Irkutsk demanding the construction of pre-paid apartments, which remain unbuilt.  Russia has called the US’ criticism of St. Petersburg legislation that outlaws so-called ‘gay propaganda’ ‘inappropriate‘ and ‘incorrect’.