TODAY: Gorbachev launches own political party; Union of Right Forces in league with the Kremlin?; Lavrov says Russia not disrupting Middle East balance of power; troop set to withdraw from Georgia this week; surprise military drill. Mikhail Gorbachev and “maverick ex-KGB officer turned billionaire banker” Alexander Lebedev have announced plans to form a new opposition political party – the Independent Democratic Party of Russia. Has the Union of Right Forces been in league with the Kremlin this year? Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov is defending Russia’s military ties with Syria against accusations that they disrupt the balance of power in the Middle East. But others argue that Russia is seeking to fill the region’s vacuum of power, and regaining influence there. Russia and India have extended military cooperation for another ten years.