Bob has an opinion article in today's edition of the Guardian stressing the importance of linking human rights with foreign relations during David Miliband's visit to Russia this week, and elsewhere in the same paper, Mikhail Khodorkovsky's mother has issued her own appeal to the foreign secretary.

At least one report confirms that Khodorkovsky's case will indeed be discussed.

Miliband has started on this path already, apparently. He met with human rights activists today where, according to Radio Free Europe/Radio Libery, he "expressed his concern over the killings of activists of nongovernmental organizations in Russia and the pressure that is being imposed on civil society."

Miliband also pressed Russia to

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An appeal from Russian citizen and ecologist Andrey Zatoka, residing in Dashoguz, Turkmenistan, to you, to me, to our dear readers, to anyone listening.

I, Andrey Zatoka, ask for your help with regard to law enforcement agencies that are repressing me.

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At the moment, I am in detention and being investigated as part of an entirely fabricated case. I am accused of causing bodily harm to someone who assaulted me without cause in a bazaar. It is obvious to me that the assault was set up with the help of a non-staff assistant to the police and that everything from the apprehension to the accusation charges were planned and organised

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TODAY: Did Clinton get what she wanted?; media reports possible silence for sanctions deal; START treaty progress.  Georgia accused of abetting al-Qaida; Putin 'satisfied' with job.  German official castigates Medvedev for investigation into Stalin-researching historian; the man of steel's grandson loses battle with newspaper; psychological perils of police force and military; mafia boss funeral. According to the Moscow Times, Hillary Clinton received a 'cool welcome' from Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov on the crucial issue of sanctions on Iran, with Russia still resisting.  Clinton apparently 'brave-faced' it, saying, 'we did not ask for anything today. We reviewed the situation', and added 'Russia has been extremely co-operative in the work we have done together'.  Reports have circulated that the ...

The attentive reader may recall that Sergei Lavrov got a little bit prickly in response to U.S. sanctions on the state arms exporter Rosoboronexport. During yesterday's press debriefing at the State Department, one journalist got a brief response out of Sean McCormack, which shows that the U.S. is getting bit annoyed with Russia's insistence that its helping out on Iran is seen as "a favor" rather than a mutual interest. He's got a point. QUESTION: Sean, kind of old business from Friday. Sergey Lavrov expressed some irritation about the sanctions that the United States imposed against that Russian export firm Rosoboronexport or whatever. MR. MCCORMACK: Yeah. QUESTION: And he said that it was a case of unilateralism vis-à-vis Iran and that this will cause Russia to sort of approach the P5+1 process with diminished zeal. And I was wondering, have they communicated that to you? MR. MCCORMACK: I don’t ...

Eduard Kokoity, the former wrestler and South Ossetian separatist, today offered conflicting versions of his new country's relations with Moscow, saying originally his new government's strategy was to join Russia but now disavowing the comment and stating there was no plan to relinquish independence. Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov reiterated Kokoity's words and the Kremlin's strenuous denial that such a merger would take place. “South Ossetia is not intending to link up with anybody,” he said. “They have understood that without a declaration of independence, they cannot ensure their own security.” Moscow's most recent chess moves vis-à-vis Georgia and South Ossetia raises some eyebrows. As though it weren't enough to have torn open a severe rift in relations with the West by invading Georgia, unilaterally proclaiming the independence of South Ossetia and Abkhazia, and promising Russia a military base, now Russia has ...