What the Papers Say, Aug. 14, 2012

Kommersant

1. Alexei Dospekhov interview with IOC president Jacques Rogge summing up the results of the London Olympics; pp 1, 12 (1,885 words).

2. Natalya Gorodetskaya article headlined "Moscow Being Enlarged to Democracy" comments on a new strategy for Moscow's development, turning the Russian capital into a post-industrial city without production facilities harmful for the environment; pp 1, 3 (815 words).

3. Vladislav Novy and Anna Balashova article headlined "People From Other Cities to Become Locals" comments on the plans of the Communications and Press Ministry to put an end to roaming for mobile phone calls made from different cities of the country; pp 1, 9 (750 words).

4. Alexandra Yevdokimova and Kirill Melnikov article headlined "Prices Grab Pistols" says that wholesale fuel prices have started growing in Russia. The hike amounted to 1 percent a week; pp 1, 9 (500 words).

5. Natalya Korchenkova art al. report headlined "Party Budgets to Be Made More Transparent" says the Group of States against Corruption has called for improved anti-bribery legislation and more transparent political funding in Russia; p 2 (527 words).

6. Alina Sabitova article headlined "LDPR Looks for Lost Day" says that State Duma Deputy representing the Liberal Democratic Party of Russia (LDPR) Vasily Zhurko has asked the Prosecutor General's Office and the Investigative Committee to carry out an investigation into the actions of the Russian leadership when Georgia attacked South Ossetia in 2008; p 2 (604 words).

7. Natalya Bashlykova article headlined "Kasimov Duma Placed Into Illegitimate Position" says the Kasimov town Duma elected in July still cannot start its work as the election results have not been published by the local press. The opposition believes the move is aimed at preventing opposition deputies from supporting opposition candidates in the Ryazan region gubernatorial elections; p 3 (604 words).

8. Alexander Reutov article headlined "Syrian Crisis Grips Bosnia" says the conflict in Syria has resulted in a political scandal in Bosnia where Serbian politicians demanded resignation of the foreign minister, who asked the country's envoy to the UN to vote for the resolution against the current Syrian regime; p 6 (430 words).

9. Maxim Yusin article headlined "President of Egypt Gives Command to 'Dismiss'" says the new Egyptian president has stripped the military command of political powers by sacking top generals considered to be guarantors of the secular regime in the country; p 6 (589 words).

10. Sergei Strokan article headlined "North Korea Comes Out for Protection of South Korean Territory" says Pyongyang has supported South Korea in its territorial dispute with Japan over islands in the western part of the Sea of Japan; p 6 (521 words).

11. Maria Yefimova article headlined "Bashar Assad No Longer Safe for Lebanon" says Beirut has accused Syria of plotting attacks and contract killings in the north of Lebanon; p 6 (343 words).

Nezavisimaya Gazeta

1. Sergei Kulikov article headlined "Blunt Needle" says that public opinion polls have shown that over half of Russians are expecting crisis to hit hard the country's economy. International experts realize that the Russian economy depends on prices on hydrocarbons and place Russia in the group of unsafe investment; pp 1, 4 (859 words).

2. Grigory Zaslavsky article headlined "Art Historians Asked Not to Worry" comments on financial checks carried out at scientific research institutions controlled by the Culture Ministry; pp 1, 7 (1,218 words).

3. Alexei Gorbachev article headlined "Detention Center as Place for Discussions" says that inmates from a pretrial detention center in Moscow have been denied the right to receive parcels from their relatives and friends for their anti-Putin graffiti; pp 1, 3 (601 words).

4. Alexandra Samarina article headlined "New Rhythm of Russian Politics" says that Vladimir Putin's regime is stepping up repression against dissenters; pp 1, 3 (1,667 words).

5. Tatyana Ivzhenko article headlined "Kiev's Gas Drift" comments on plans to build an LNG platform in the port of Odessa by 2016 as a measure reducing energy dependence on Moscow; pp 1, 6 (683 words).

6. Vladimir Skosyrev article headlined "Uranium Added to Kudankulam" says that the Kudankulam nuclear power plant built by Russian physicists in India will start generating energy in August despite environmentalists' protests; pp 1-2 (353 words).

7. Editorial headlined "Quality and Quantity" outlines measures to be taken to improve the quality of military hardware and weapons manufactured in Russia; p 2 (512 words).

8. Veniamin Popov report "Islamists in Power" looks at the role of political Islam on the international arena; p 3 (600 words).

9. Artur Blinov article headlined "Israel Sees No Prospects in Talks With Iran" says Israel has called on the 5 +1 group of international mediators in the Iranian talks to admit failure of negotiations. Experts note that the rhetoric aims at influencing the world community as Tel-Aviv plans to carry air strikes against Iran; p 6 (494 words).

10. Yury Paniyev article headlined "Muhammad Mursi Sacrifices Security Officers" says that Egyptian President Muhammad Mursi has used the conflict in Sinai to sack military commanders and strengthen his positions; p 6 (548 words).

11. Yury Roks report "Medical Trip of Senator Lugar" says that the U.S.A. is not interested in a change of power in Georgia; p 6 (600 words).

Vedomosti

1. Oleg Salmanov article headlined "Feeling at Home While Being Guest" says that national roaming for Russian mobile phone subscribers will be cancelled; p 1 (659 words).

2. Margarita Lyutova article headlined "Protection From Technologies" says foreign companies do not hurry to build roads in Russia despite the fact that they have opportunities to implement this kind of project. Foreigners find it hard to use new technologies in Russia due to red tape; pp 1, 3 (466 words).

3. Natalya Kostenko article headlined "Gudkov to Lose His State Duma Seat" says State Duma Deputy Gennady Gudkov risks losing his seat in the parliament over his commercial activity; pp 1-2 (785 words).

4. Editorial headlined "They Are Not Like Us" compares public opinion polls carried out in Russia and the EU on people's attitude to the police and says that Russians have less trust in the law-enforcement agencies; pp 1, 4 (533 words).

5. Another editorial headlined "Who Kills Baikal" says that the pulp and paper factory has been allowed to contaminate the Lake Baikal for one more year. The world community and people of the Irkutsk region are protesting against the decision; p 4 (278 words).

6. Sergei Guriyev and Oleg Tsyvinskiy article headlined "Ratio Economica: Who Really Wins Olympics" looks at the results of Russian athletes' performance at the London Olympics; p 4 (1,017 words).

7. Polina Khimshiashvili report "All Power to Civilians" says that the military is losing power in Egypt; p 2 (550 words).

Izvestia

1. Maria Zhebit article headlined "State Stake in Gazprom to Be Increased to 52.5%" says that the Federal Agency for State Property Management (Rosimushchestvo) is to get 2.5 percent of Gazprom shares from Vneshekonombank, which will enlarge the state's stake in the gas monopoly to 52.5 percent; pp 1-2 (686 words).

2. Anna Akhmadiyeva and Taras Podrez article headlined "'Honest Monday' Financed From State Budget" looks at the list of TV, radio and Internet projects receiving state support in Russia; pp 1, 3 (808 words).

3. Viktor Toporov article headlined "Putin's 100 Days: Indisputability and Relative Calmness" says President Vladimir Putin has withstood the "aggressive campaign" against his regime and outlines problems the president is facing; pp 1, 5 (829 words).

4. Olga Tropkina article headlined "Nationalists Nominate Candidates for Regional Elections" says nationalists are nominating their candidates for the elections of governors and members of regional legislative assemblies to be held this autumn; p 2 (568 words).

5. Alexandra Sopova report "Vladislav Surkov Turned to Faith Again" says that Deputy Prime Minister Vladislav Surkov has been put in charge of cooperating with religious organizations; p 2 (650 words).

6. Andrei Gridasov article headlined "Case on Assassination Attempt on Putin May Fall Apart" says Chechen national Adam Osmayev, kept in custody in Ukraine over charges with plotting an attempt on the life of Putin, has rejected his previous testimony; p 4 (662 words).

7. Dmitry Drobnitsky report "Conclusions of Unsportsmanlike Nature" looks at the performance of Russian athletes at the London Olympics; p 5 (800 words).

8. Anastasia Dulenkova report "Russian Volunteers Will Work Better Than British Ones" looks at the preparation of volunteers for the Sochi Olympics; p 8 (600 words).

Rossiiskaya Gazeta

1. Leonid Radzikhovsky article headlined "Putin and Simplicity" looks at the achievements of Putin's regime and praises his personal qualities allowing him to rule Russia for such a long period; pp 1-2 (2,141 words).

2. Pavel Danilin article headlined "President's New Formula" praises Putin's regime for an "economic miracle" and says the opposition was late with its protests against Putin; p 3 (1,025 words).

3. Vasily Voropayev article headlined "Soldiers Against 'Stupid People'" says a controversial article by the U.S. military discussing the possibility of a revolt in the U.S.A. in 2016 shows the level of political tension in the country ahead of the presidential elections; p 8 (713 words).

4. Vladislav Vorobyev article headlined "Kurds Join Fighting" says that by helping Syrian rebels, Turkey risks losing some of its territory as Kurdish separatists have stepped up their activity in the southeast of the country; p 8 (392 words).

5. Maxim Makarychev report "Egypt After Generals" says that generals' resignation in Egypt does not mean that the "military corporation" has been removed from power; p 8 (600 words).

6. Nikolai Dolgopolov article headlined "Will We Filter Through?" looks at the reasons that have prevented the Russian Olympic team from winning more gold medals than the top three countries, the U.S.A., China and the U.K.; p 11 (1,113 words).

7. Nikolai Dolgopolov article headlined "Lord Invites to Breakfast" reports on the final news conference by the head of the London Olympics Organizing Committee, Lord Sebastian Coe; p 12 (1,169 words).

Moskovsky Komsomolets

1. Mikhail Rostovsky article headlined "Do Not Lean Against It!" comments on the new role of Deputy Prime Minister Vladislav Surkov, who has been made in charge of the government's relations with religious organizations; pp 1-2 (791 words).

2. Yulia Kalinina article headlined "Money Which Will Kill Opposition" questions the reasons that have made opposition activists and State Duma deputies Dmitry Gudkov and Ilya Ponomaryov start talks with Boris Berezovsky on funding for an Internet-based opposition TV project; pp 1, 3 (477 words).

3. Anastasia Rodionova article headlined "Sergei Udaltsov: 'I Liked the Hearing'" comments on the hearing of Left Front coordinator Sergei Udaltsov's complaint against the verdict passed on him earlier by the Leninsky Court in Ulyanovsk; p 2 (584 words).

4. Sergei Markov report "100 Days of Putin: 3 Tests, 4 Threats and 2 Policies for Society" says that Putin is likely to continue with the policies he has pursued over the past 12 years; p 2 (600 words).

Noviye Izvestia

1. Alexander Ilyin article headlined "But We Smoke and Drink More Than Anyone Else" says Russia has shown excellent results at the London Olympics taking into consideration the state of sport and public health in the country; pp 1, 6 (2,229 words).

2. Margarita Alyokhina report "Attack on Defense" says that the lawyers of the Pussy Riot group may be stripped of their status; pp 1, 6 (500 words).

3. Nadezhda Krasilova report "Minister of Church Affairs" says that Deputy Prime Minister Vladislav Surkov has been made in charge of cooperation with religious organizations; p 2 (700 words).

4. Sergei Manukov report "Our Man in NATO" says that a man suspected of spying for Russia has been detained in Germany; p 2 (450 words).

5. Yulia Savina report "Test With Battle" says that the RPR-Parnas opposition party has begun to take part in elections to local executive bodies; p 2 (550 words).

RBK Daily

1. Yaroslav Nikolayev article headlined "Hello, Supreme Arbitration Court Listening" says that arbitration courts in Moscow and Krasnoyarsk have started recording telephone conversations of their staff to avoid pressure on the courts and conflicts of interests of judges; p 1 (700 words).

2. "Gazprom Without License" details a gas supply deal reached between Gazprom and Turkey; pp 1, 6 (600 words).

3. Katerina Katayeva article headlined "They Shift From STS to News" says that Ren-TV is the fifth most popular TV channel in Moscow having outstripped STS, which specializes in entertainment shows; p 1 (400 words).

4. Dmitry Orlov report "Normalization of Putin" looks at Putin's 100 days in office and the situation in the country; p 4 (800 words).

5. Kirill Koktysh report "Transformation of President" looks at the policies pursued by Putin; p 4 (600 words).

Moskovskiye Novosti

1. Mikhail Moshkin report "Surkov and Gods" says that Deputy Prime Minister Vladislav Surkov has been made again in charge of cooperation between the authorities and religious organizations; p 2 (600 words).

2. Irina Novikova report "Who Attacked Gudkov" looks at the authorities' fight against opposition State Duma Deputy Gennady Gudkov's business and parliament mandate; p 2 (700 words).

3. Igor Kryuchkov report "Islamists Defeat Generals" says that the Egyptian president has removed generals from power; p 4 (800 words).

Komsomolskaya Pravda

1. Yan Vaslavsky report "President Putin's 100 days: Illusions and Reality" looks at Putin's policy and the situation in the country; p 4 (900 words).

2. Vladimir Nordvik interview headlined "We've Entered Final Straight" with the president of 2014 Sochi Olympics organizing committee, Dmitry Chernyshenko, who speaks about the Russian team's performance at the London Olympics and about preparation for the Olympic Games in Sochi; p 27 (850 words).

Trud

1. Sergei Frolov report "It Is Beyond Us to Predict Impact of Word in Blog" says that strangely, English-speaking bloggers have not condemned Russian Deputy Prime Minister Dmitry Rogozin for his recent critical comment on U.S. singer Madonna, which he posted on Twitter; p 1 (550 words).

Aug. 14, 2012/BBC Monitoring/©BBC