Regarding the Abramovich-Zhukova sponsorship of the Serpentine party (IZO, yesterday): maybe it was done with no input from the Russian government, but on the other hand London has become a very hot potato for the oligarchs and it may be that this kind of expenditure must be green-lighted by the administration. When one oligarch was asked recently to sponsor a major cultural event in London he agreed only on condition that a Russian Ministry would send him a letter suggesting the same. I am told his comment was, "Without an official approval of the Russian government people don't deal with London these days."