I thought I started a Russia thread. Maybe I did it wrong. Anyway, I think Russia is fascinating and important, and that we ought to have a thread about it that isn't suffused with Trump drama. Here's a BBC story about the recent botched poisoning attempt on a former Russian spy and his daughter:

Russian spy: What are Novichok agents and what do they do?

Intro:

A former Russian spy and his daughter were poisoned by a chemical that is part of a group of nerve agents known as Novichok, UK Prime Minister Theresa May has said.Sergei Skripal and his daughter Yulia remain critically ill after the attempted murder in Salisbury on 4 March.
The chemical was identified by experts at the defence and science laboratory at Porton Down.
So what do we know about this group of military-grade nerve agents?


I suppose the would-be assassin in this case has some 'splaining to do when he gets home to Moscow.