Wildfires in Volgograd and Saratov, strengthened by strong winds, have killed five people and caused the evacuation of 750, according to the most recent reports from regional authorities, and the Emergencies Ministry says that hundreds of homes have been destroyed.  In which case, Vedomosti may be early in asserting that Russian leaders’ popularity has recovered from its wildfire dip.  Vladimir Putin’s lone-man Lada trip is apparently being ridiculed after a YouTube video suggested that the Prime Minister and his entourage made the trip with three models of the car, one being transported on a tow truck.  RFE/RL has the report and video link: ‘A third one is coming!” an onlooker is heard saying. “It broke down. He wore it out!’‘ Human rights veteran Lyudmila Alexeyeva says she will no longer attend opposition rallies. ‘I’ve had my share of going to rallies in my life […] ‘I am physically incapable of doing it.‘  The Kremlin is trying to distance the President from violent crackdowns on protesters, and shift the blame to the Moscow city authorities, says The Other Russia.