The Guardian suggests that yesterday’s raid on the headquarters of Alexander Lebedev’s National Reserve Bank by masked and armed officers was designed ‘to upstage the trial of Mikhail Khodorkovsky‘. The BBC has a useful summary of various media responses to President Dmitry Medvedev’s visit to the disputed Kuril islands, noting that all sources agree that it is a ‘major development‘ in relations with Japan.  And the row is unlikely to blow over: Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov says the President is planning further trips to other islands in the region.  In contrast, much headway was made in Russia’s relationship with Norway this week, following a border agreement that ends a ‘four-decade dispute‘ and which could pave the way for further accord in energy exploration. Cloudy and unconfirmed reports suggest that a bomb exploded at the Russian Embassy in Athens earlier this week.  The census? What’s the point, wonders Yulia Latynina.  Russia should do more to confront its Soviet wrongdoings, says this Vedomosti opinion piece, including making judicial reforms.  Reports suggest that today’s meeting between Medvedev and NATO Secretary-General Anders Fogh Rasmussen will focus on cooperation in security in Europe and Afghanistan.