Former German chancellor Gerhard Schröder greets Russian president Vladimir Putin in St Petersburg in 2016. Their close friendship saw rising German economic and energy dependency on Russia climaxing in the first Nord Stream undersea gas pipeline. Photograph: Mikhail Svetlov/Getty Germany doesn’t need to fear Russian disinformation trolls: it has Gerhard Schröder. To mark his 80th birthday next week, the ex-chancellor and former leader of the ruling Social Democratic Party (SPD) gave an interview to ensure he needn’t book a large room for his party. Asked about political decisions he regrets as chancellor, Schröder channelled his inner Edith Piaf: “Nothing springs...