0815GMT//Putin threatens nuclear tests; two Kremlin propagandists marry; Russia to train overseas students as prison guards
NUCLEAR TESTS: Vladimir Putin on Wednesday ordered his military to draw up plans to test-fire Russia's nuclear weapons for the first time since the collapse of the Soviet Union in 1991. He said that Russia's resumption of nuclear weapons testing was a response to a proposal from Donald Trump for the US to begin its own nuclear testing. It was unclear if Trump was referring to testing a missile system or a nuclear weapon. (COMMENT>> Perhaps Trump has walked into Putin's sabre-rattling trap. The Russian president was able to portray his actions as a calm response to Trump's escalatory language. Putin made the comments in a carefully choreographed meeting of his Security Council. In the meeting, Russian defence minister Andrei Belousov said that nuclear testing could begin "within a short timeframe" on Russia's Novaya Zemlya archipelago in the Arctic.)
KREMLIN PROPAGANDISTS MARRY: Two of Putin's favourite propagandists – pop singer Shaman and internet safety campaigner Ekaterina Mizulina – married on Wednesday wearing military-style shirts in a registry office in occupied Donetsk. In attendance were a handful of 'heavies' wearing all-black uniforms and Denis Pushilin, the Kremlin-installed head of the region. (COMMENT>> This is pure theatre by the Kremlin, using two of its most high-profile pro-war propagandists to titillate Russians.)
LOGISTICS LOGJAM: Logistics firms in Russia have started warning of supply disruptions because of extra customs checks on the Kazakhstan-Russia border, media reported. They said that the customs checks, imposed to stop the "grey economy", were holding up 10-25% of consumer imports from China. Reports said that warehouse owners in Moscow and St Petersburg have reported a drop in supplies. (COMMENT>> These increased checks on the Kazakhstan-Russia border have been going on since September. Analysts have said that Kazakhstan wants to clamp down on the import of "dual-use" products from China into Russia. Other analysts have blamed increased Russian customs checks for the delays.)
CAR BUYERS RACE TO BEAT TAX RISES: Russian consumers rushed to buy cars before an increase in taxes on imported cars comes in on Dec 1. Government data showed a 32% increase in car sales in October. (COMMENT>> This is a repeat of a trend from last year, when there was also a large surge in car sales ahead of a tax increase on imported cars. This year, the tax increase has been postponed to Dec. 1, from Nov. 1, after protests.)
A DEGREE IN PRISON GUARDS SERVICE: Russia's notorious prison system plans to start teaching overseas students how to be guards. The Vedomosti newspaper reported that international students will be able to earn a degree. (COMMENT>> This is part of a drive by the Kremlin to earn extra cash and also to, potentially, plug a shortage in prison guards. It's clearly a twisted ploy as Russia's prison system is notoriously tough and corrupt. Last year, Russian opposition leader Alexei Navalny died in a prison in the Arctic.)