TODAY: Liberal Medvedev faces “silent war”; Putin’s popularity exceeds Medvedev’s; Yabloko to convene amidst split; US may turn to Lithuania over missile shield; Anna Politkovskaya case closed. The head of a Russian think tank says President Dmitry Medvedev faces a “silent war” from hardliners opposed to his liberal reform agenda: “If he doesn’t build a coalition in this struggle, he will lose.” The Moscow Times has analyzed some of Medvedev’s foreign policy statements since taking office. A new VTsIOM survey says that Prime Minister Putin’s confidence rating exceeds that of Medvedev. The Liberal Yabloko party, apparently split over whether or not it should cooperate with radical anti-Kremlin groups, will convene this coming weekend.