TODAY: Reports says START deal made, Prague to host signing ceremony; Russian aircraft frequent visitors to British airspace.  PACE monitors lambasts Kremlin approach to freedom of assembly; Putin-loyal parties in dispute. UR toning down amnesty plans; protesters in Barnaul call for Putin’s resignation.  Compensation for red-tape victims?; Interior Ministry encourages public suggestions for reform; modernity in Ukraine.  Cheap vodka; maths genius recluse; Tolstoy.

Reports are circulating that the START replacement treaty will be ready for an April 8 signing ceremony in Prague; the Washington Post states that the deal has been made.  Each side will reduce its long-range nuclear weapons from a ceiling of 2,200 to between 1,500 and 1,675: the Guardian has a full overview here.  A Q and A on why the deal is important can be found on Reuters.  In spite of the reset, apparently almost 75% of Russians still view the US as a possible aggressor.  According to the Telegraph, RAF jets have been scrambled 20 times in the past year to intercept Russian aircraft.  NATO has rejected Russia’s criticisms over poppy field eradication (or lack thereof) in Afghanistan.