Russian Prime Minister Vladimir Putin has awarded a special gold medal to fellow Russian, Olympic figure skater Yevgeny Plushenko, who only took silver in Vancouver – thus missing out on a third Olympic gold.

"Your silver is worth gold," explained Putin, as he made the presentation. Even grade inflation in the City isn't that silly and the truth is that Plushenko's performance, while artistically exciting, wasn't technically good enough to win. But this little episode is typical of life in modern Moscow, where there is an obsession with form over substance.