TODAY: 2010 saw harassment of activists up by 50%, says new survey; expert panel to consider Khodorkovsky trial; Medvedev defends trial by jury; Gennady Timchenko wins case against Nemtsov; United Russia falling out of favor?  Luzhkov vows he will face his enemies on Russian soil; Obama signs ratification of START; pay packet increase for military; Russia ceases art loans to US; pantomine and politics

The Other Russia reports that, according to human rights association Agora, cases of persecution against activists and non-governmental organizations in Russia doubled in 2010, with 41 civil activists being injured in attacks.  Unsubstantiated reports are circulating that ex-cop-turned-whistleblower Alexei Dymovsky has been attacked on a trip.  It has been confirmed that a panel has been given the go-ahead to undertake an expert evaluation of the case against former Yukos CEO Mikhail Khodorkovsky, and present its findings to President Medvedev.  The President has said that the fact that these findings could be used for an appeal or even pardon was ‘perfectly obvious’, but ‘a separate subject’.  Khodorkovsky has warned the President in an open letter that the public will lose patience with the state if it fails to fulfill its pledges on corruption and legal nihilism.  Taking a contrary stance to the Prime Minister, Dmitry Medvedev has reportedly asserted that trial by jury should be preserved, but not for corruption cases because of their ‘exposure‘ to outside influence.  ITAR-TASS reports that opposition leader Boris Nemtsov and economist Vladimir Milov have been ordered to pay 100,000 rubles each in damages to Putin ally and Gunvor chieftain Gennady Timchenko, after he won his libel battle against them.  A precarious start to the year for United Russia; apparently in January the ruling party’s popularity rating slumped to its lowest point in more than a year.