TODAY: Russia to delay NATO council meeting; Ryabko critical on US missile defense; ex-Yukos lawyer released on parole; Medvedev starts Internet discussion group; Lenin’s birthday suit

Russia has notified NATO of its postponing of the May 7 chief of staff meeting, citing a desire to resume political contact before discussing military issues.  In an interview with the BBC’s Russian service, Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov has said that NATO is employing the ‘confrontational logic of the Cold War’.  Kazakhstan has refused to engage in the NATO-organized military exercises in Georgia in a show of support for Russia.  Deputy Foreign Minister Sergei Ryabko has voiced concerns regarding US missile defense, saying he believes the US will not change its policy, and that it has in fact ‘intensified’.  South Ossetian authorities have released two OSCE observers it had detained for apparent illegal border crossing.  An article in the Washington Post reports that there are Russian troops just 25 miles from the Georgian capital.