Andrew Marr and BBC catch up with Russian developments ...

Andrew Marr - one of the overworked, overpaid hacks the BBC relies on to keep the message "on message" chatted with sex bomb Jacqui Smith on his Sunday politics program.

Today he "Started the Week" on BBC4 at 9.00 am he interviwed Economist Journalist Edward Lucas who was peddling his book The New Cold War: How the Kremlin Menaces both Russia and the West is published by Bloomsbury. (Order from Amazon)

He claims to be a lone voice in highlighting how (19 minutes into program) Vladimir Putin has used its Russias soaring oil and gas revenues to gain influence in the West while ruthlessly silencing its critics and neighbours. He claims no-one is taking any notice - hence his use of the term "the New Cold war" .

Lucas laments how Putin popped into Bulgaria last and stitched them up for the South Stream pipeline which effectively destroys the EU Nabucco pipeline - which First Deputy Prime Minister Dmitry Medvedev, Gazprom's chairman signed up with Bulgarian Prime Minister Sergei Stanishev But this was actually stitched on June 24 2007 in Zagreb, when President Putin held a bilateral meeting with Bulgarian President Georgi Parvanov ) as detailed by Lord Patel last week - Putin and his gang extend energy interests and ownership

Anyway all credit to Edward Lucas, Andrew Marr and the BBC for eventually getting the news about South Stream and it's importance to energy security in Europe published.

Whilst we have posted a great deal of many of the aspects of the rise of the silovaki - Putin's team consolidates - Which commences

..."Yesterday the Russian Union of Industrialists and Entrepreneurs replaced three members lost from the Board, former YUKOS CEO Mikhail
Khodorkovsky, Chairman of Supervisory Board at Industrial and Construction Bank Vladimir Kogan and Vice President of the Union Viktor Dombrovsky.

They were replaced by LUKoil President Vagit Alekperov, Metalloinvest and Gazmetall co-owner Alisher Usmanov and Kuzbassrazrezugol CEO Andrey Bokarev.(see pic)"

Is worth reading.

Of course the blogistes are merely ill informed commentators.

*** Leonid Tygachev is President of the Russian Olympic Committee.