In the sunshine of a Moscow summer, the two men pictured cycling through a park on the outskirts of the capital at the weekend looked for all the world like a couple of pals on an informal bike ride. Later, they played badminton together, again principally for the benefit of the media. But for Dimitri Medvedev, the Russian president, and Vladimir Putin, the prime minister, this stage-managed public engagement belied the tensions building behind the scenes at the Kremlin. It also added – perhaps deliberately – to the buzz of growing excitement among Russia-watchers. For, after almost disappearing from the front pages, her politics are interesting once more.
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