Last week Russia lost Serbia to Europe. This week it lost Cyprus. The Financial Times reports:

A Cyprus court has refused to extradite a former senior Yukos executive to Russia, saying that the case is politically-motivated.

Judge Alecos Panayiotou refused Russia's request to extradite Vladislav Kartashov, a former manager at the Russian energy group, because "there is a real risk that his right to a fair trial will be flagrantly violated".

The judge also said "the charges faced by the respondent in Russia are tainted with political motives" and said he could not be extradited while he was seeking political asylum in Cyprus.

The ruling is another international defeat for Russia as it seeks legitimacy for its legal onslaught against Yukos.