Last week, Russia's Prime Minister Vladimir Putin met his Ukrainian counterpart and candidate in the upcoming presidential election Yulia Timoshenko, ostensibly to discuss gas issues. He ended up giving Timoshenko broad political endorsement as a Ukrainian leader Russia can do

Russia's ruling party United Russia suffered a rare political defeat on November 18, when its proposed hikes on road tax were voted down and radically amended by the Federation Council, the upper house of Parliament, amidst widespread public outcry and