The Moscow Times

Foreign Money In, Khodorkovsky Still Out

Tue, 07 Sep 2010 00:00:00 +0400

Prime Minister Vladimir Putin insisted that Russia remained open to foreign investment in strategic sectors, accused jailed former Yukos CEO Mikhail Khodorkovsky of having "blood on his hands" and spoke of Washington and Beijing in uncharacteristically warm terms during a meeting with Russia experts.

Duma Sets Sights on Antitrust Law, Liquor

Tue, 07 Sep 2010 00:00:00 +0400

The State Duma opened its fall session Tuesday looking to pass economic legislation that clarifies tough anti-monopoly regulations and puts further pressure on the country's rampant alcohol consumption.

Luzhkov's Deputy Comes Under Fire

Tue, 07 Sep 2010 00:00:00 +0400

Russia's top investigator accused a Moscow deputy mayor of fleeing the country to evade corruption allegations, a claim that analysts said put new pressure on Mayor Yury Luzhkov, the last long-serving regional leader.

Kalmykia to Get Pragmatic Leader, Analysts Say

Tue, 07 Sep 2010 00:00:00 +0400

Flamboyant Kalmykia leader Kirsan Ilyumzhinov, who is stepping down after 17 years, will likely be replaced by a pragmatic-minded business manager, analysts said.

LUKoil Exec to Support Crash Victim's Girl

Tue, 07 Sep 2010 00:00:00 +0400

LUKoil vice president Anatoly Barkov, cleared by police in a car crash that killed two women, including the mother of a 2-year-old girl, promised on Tuesday to use his own money to support the girl until she reaches adulthood.

Silvinit Sells Trader Stake, Merger Possible

Wed, 08 Sep 2010 00:00:00 +0400

Silvinit has sold its 32 percent stake in trading firm International Potash Company, data on its web site showed Tuesday, in another sign that Russia's largest potash producer is headed for a merger with rival Uralkali.

Sochi Has No Legal Dumps, Audit Finds

Tue, 07 Sep 2010 00:00:00 +0400

Sochi, host of the 2014 Winter Olympics, faces an environmental disaster because there are no legal garbage dumps, Vedomosti reported Tuesday, citing a report by the Audit Chamber.

Shoigu Blames Regions for Wildfire Crisis

Tue, 07 Sep 2010 00:00:00 +0400

Emergency Situations Minister Sergei Shoigu said Tuesday that the damage from this summer's wildfires would have been less severe if authorities had engaged firefighting aircraft more quickly.

Magnitsky's Supporters Blast Bastrykin

Wed, 08 Sep 2010 00:00:00 +0400

Investigators are obscuring the facts surrounding Sergei Magnitsky's death in a Moscow prison, the tax lawyer's former employer said Tuesday, after Investigative Committee chief Alexander Bastrykin indicated that there was no evidence of physical or psychological abuse in the case.

Foreign Adoptions Slammed in St. Petersburg

Tue, 07 Sep 2010 00:00:00 +0400

St. Petersburg Governor Valentina Matviyenko called on Tuesday for a ban on child adoptions by foreigners in the city, Interfax reported.

Mitvol Loses to Gay Club

Tue, 07 Sep 2010 00:00:00 +0400

The Moscow Arbitration Court has ruled as illegal the closure of one of the city's gay clubs, banned from its premises under pressure from Oleg Mitvol, prefect for the city's Northern Administrative District, GayRussia.ru reported Tuesday.

China Loans $6Bln to Secure Coal

Wed, 08 Sep 2010 00:00:00 +0400

China agreed last month to lend Russia about $6 billion in exchange for increased coal supplies over the next quarter century, the Russian Energy Ministry said in a statement Tuesday.

Nazarbayev Proposes Siberian River Diversion

Wed, 08 Sep 2010 00:00:00 +0400

Kazakh President Nursultan Nazarbayev on Tuesday proposed the resurrection of a Soviet-era project to divert Siberian rivers southward to provide drinking water for drought-hit regions of Central Asia.

No Grain Import Increase

Wed, 08 Sep 2010 00:00:00 +0400

The government on Tuesday raised its estimate for national grain stockpiles, making increased imports unnecessary, and said buckwheat was the only staple with a price that has climbed to a "critical" level.

Globaltrans H1 Profit Beats Forecast

Wed, 08 Sep 2010 00:00:00 +0400

The country's largest private freight operator, Globaltrans Investment, said Tuesday that it more than doubled first-half profit, beating forecasts, as demand for goods transport increased in a rebounding economy.

Contemporary Writers Strong for New Season

Wed, 08 Sep 2010 00:00:00 +0400

The real season is about to begin in Moscow. Let the film, music and art pundits take potshots at me - I don't care. Because when Moscow's drama theaters start gearing up for a new season, that's when serious work is about to be done.

Modernizing Russia's Tragic History

Wed, 08 Sep 2010 00:00:00 +0400

In a village in the Leningrad region, there is a large bronze statue of a strong, stocky man in a long coat and cap on a high red granite pedestal. An inscription reveals that it is a monument to Sergei Kirov, whose murder gave Josef Stalin an excuse to unleash the Great Terror.

The Coolest Leader in the World

Wed, 08 Sep 2010 00:00:00 +0400

After Prime Minister Vladimir Putin cruised around the Far East in a Lada Kalina for 11 days, political pundits claimed that it was the start of his presidential campaign. But what is the point of conducting an election campaign in a country that has no real elections?

Inflation Could Trip New Exchange-Rate Crisis

Wed, 08 Sep 2010 00:00:00 +0400

A ruble exchange-rate crisis in two or three years is not inevitable, but if inflation is allowed to accelerate and real interest rates - adjusting for the effects of inflation - become negative again, an exchange-rate crisis just becomes a question of time.

Moving From 'Boris and Bill' to a Real Reset

Wed, 08 Sep 2010 00:00:00 +0400

What is the future of the much-famed "reset" in U.S.-Russian relations? The previous political season between the two countries ended on a low note because of the spy scandal. This new season started with Vladimir Putin's recent remarks that so far he does not see any reset in relations.

Gazprom's SeverEnergia Sale

Wed, 08 Sep 2010 00:00:00 +0400

Potanin Real Estate Holding

Wed, 08 Sep 2010 00:00:00 +0400

Putin Starts Mechel Smelter

Wed, 08 Sep 2010 00:00:00 +0400

LUKoil Hires Zubakin

Wed, 08 Sep 2010 00:00:00 +0400

Suicide Bomber Identified

Wed, 08 Sep 2010 00:00:00 +0400

$260Bln for Yamal's Gas

Wed, 08 Sep 2010 00:00:00 +0400

Mistral Talks Still On

Wed, 08 Sep 2010 00:00:00 +0400

Bank May Sell Rostelecom

Wed, 08 Sep 2010 00:00:00 +0400

Lavrov Prods Iran

Wed, 08 Sep 2010 00:00:00 +0400

For the Record

Wed, 08 Sep 2010 00:00:00 +0400

Banker Is Kremlin Adviser

Wed, 08 Sep 2010 00:00:00 +0400

Kyrgyz Vote May Be Axed

Wed, 08 Sep 2010 00:00:00 +0400

Muscovite Sues Over Mouse

Wed, 08 Sep 2010 00:00:00 +0400