Sergei Mironov’s recent public critique of Vladimir Putin and subsequent feud with United Russia ‘brought him more fan mail than at any other point in his career‘, and one commentator suggests that the critique was not pro-democracy but a fight for ‘personal physical existence‘.  Russia’s Deputy US Secretary of State, Hillary Clinton, wants Russia to collaborate with NATO on the missile defense of Europe and in preventing the spread of nuclear weapons.  ‘While Russia faces challenges to its security, NATO is not among them.‘  A new left-wing party, the United Russian Labor Front, has opened in Moscow.  An elite police subdivision denies reports that it forced migrant workers into slave labor.  It seems that Roman Abramovich is fed up with the sleazy reputations of his Chelsea footballers, who have been issued with ‘strict instructions to clean up their act‘ or face fines.