United Russia’s weekend election victory, in which it won the support of less than half the population, was ‘unconvincing‘, says the Moscow Times.  Golos, the watchdog association monitoring the elections, recorded a total 720 violations this year, a ‘sharp rise‘ which, according to the organization’s head, indicates that United Russia is losing its touch: ‘Despite generally very difficult circumstances and very harsh pressure, real protest is growing and the people are ready to vote for a semblance of an alternative, even when there isn’t one.‘  This columnist agrees, suggesting that Prime Minister Vladimir Putin’s ‘active role‘ in the elections is demonstrative of the fact that ‘society’s attitude toward the authorities and the party has worsened‘.  Putin says the results, which saw a win for his United Russia party, were ‘more than satisfying‘.  As Libyan unrest halts ‘billions of dollars in Russian arms, energy and railway deals‘, President Dmitry Medvedev has banned Muammar Gaddafi from entering Russia, having already prohibited him from conduction financial operations in the country, and analysts are speculating about whether or not this heralds a shift in Russia’s no-fly zone policy.