What the Papers Say, Jan. 29

Kommersant

1. Andrei Kolesnikov article called "Make or Maidan" gives an account of the EU-Russia summit in Brussels attended by President Vladimir Putin; pp 1, 3 (1,175 words).

2. Oleg Rubnikovich article called "Ex-head of VEB Invest hides from court for health reasons" reports that Alexei Shulepov, CEO of Vneshekonombank's subsidiary VEB Invest, failed to appear at a hearing in connection with his case at the Presnensky District Court of Moscow. Shulepov is facing embezzlement charges; pp 1, 6 (750 words).

3. Yulia Gallyamova and Yegor Popov article headlined "Yes, we buy clunkers!" says new car sales dropped by 5.5 percent in Russia last year, driving dealerships to tap into the used car market that showed a 4 percent growth; pp 1, 10 (571 words).

4. Sergei Strokan article headlined "Mykola Azarov falls victim to appeasement" says the Ukrainian authorities "made the most serious concessions to the opposition" over the two months of the standoff; reports on the latest developments in Kiev where PM Azarov stepped down and the parliament revoked the laws that triggered a wave of protests in January; pp 1, 6 (561 words).

5. Irina Nagornykh article called "Governors called on to follow Moscow troika" quotes sources as saying that first deputy head of the presidential administration Vyacheslav Volodin held a meeting with the regional governors whose terms in office expires this year, instructed them to ensure the legitimacy of elections in their regions and carefully select regional representatives in the Federation Council; p 2 (529 words).

6. Editorial headlined "Udmurtia being prepared for change of power" doubts the prospects of the current head of Udmurtia, Alexander Volkov, to secure reappointment, and says the CEO of the Kalashnikov Concern, Konstantin Busygin, might succeed him; p 2 (824 words).

7. Ivan Safronov article headlined "Head of Rosgranitsa found in Customs" says Sergei Komlichenko, now deputy head of the Federal Customs Service, is tipped to be the next head of the Federal Agency for State Border Development and Maintenance (Rosgranitsa); p 3 (600 words).

8. Anastasia Manuilova et al. article called "Pills for CIS running out" says Russian pharmaceutical companies had to halt exports of medications abroad because the Russian government has failed to create an agency to be in charge of issuing certificates of pharmaceutical product (CPP); p 3 (607 words).

9. Maria Yefimova article headlined "PACE condemns Russia for auditor's death" reports on the first meeting of the PACE winter session that adopted a resolution recommending that Council of Europe states adopt sanctions against those involved in the death of lawyer Sergei Magnitsky; p 3 (365 words).

10. Konstantin Voronov article headlined "Criminal underground enters process" says the Novosibirsk regional court has started hearing a case against a gang known as Novosibirsk Jamaat that allegedly robbed shops and offices to procure money for financing Islamists in the North Caucasus; p 4 (580 words).

11. Sergei Nikolayev and Ivan Safronov article called "Prosecutors keep defense industry busy" gives details of a check conducted by the Prosecutor General's Office on the completion of state defense contracts. The check revealed that some 90 contracts were not delivered in 2013; p 4 (570 words).

12. Sergei Mashkin article entitled "Leader of Brotherhood isolated from society" reports that former KGB officer Valery Vdovenko has been sentenced to two and a half years in a prison settlement for organizing an extremist group known as "Northern Brotherhood"; p 5 (628 words).

13. Yulia Rybina article headlined "Court to probe into militant's treatment" says that Makhachkala anesthesiologist Marat Gunashev is charged with being a part of the illegal armed group for rendering medical help to Ibragim Gadzhidadayev, the armed gang leader, who was wounded in 2010; p 5 (350 words).

14. "What do they want?" collection of quotes by pundits commenting on the Ukrainian crisis; p 6 (423 words).

15. Kirill Belyaninov article called "Barack Obama will do without Congress" summarizes Obama's latest state of the nation address; p 6 (607 words).

16. Olga Kuznetsova interview with mayor of Lviv Andriy Sadovyi where the Party of Regions faction in the town council announced its disbandment amid political crisis; p 6 (480 words).

17. Ilya Barabanov article headlined "Maidan fails to understand Rada" reports that protesters on Maidan were bewildered to learn that a new opposition-controlled cabinet had not been formed following the resignation of the previous one; p 6 (518 words).

18. Roman Kondratyev and Anatoly Dzhumaylo article headlined "Borders not opened for metallurgists" says the Economic Development Ministry is reluctant to scrap export duties on nickel and copper despite calls from producers; p 9 (512 words).

19. Natalia Skorlygina and Anastasia Fomicheva article called "The rich pay for extra light" looks at the results of a pilot project in six regions of Russia to introduce quotas on electricity consumption for households. Despite gloomy expectations, 70 to 90 percent of consumers were able to stay within the subsidized consumption limits; p 9 (582 words).

20. Sergei Sobolev article headlined "From STS with Love" says STS Media group of companies is launching a new cable television channel called "STS Love"; p 10 (605 words).

Vedomosti

1. Alexandra Terentyeva and Vitaly Petlevoi article called "Kerimov might say goodbye to gold" says businessman and senator Suleiman Kerimov is reportedly going to sell his last big asset — a 40.22 percent stake of shares in Polyus Gold mining company; pp 1, 13 (600 words).

2. Svetlana Bocharova article headlined "Olympic lawmakers" says not more than 30 members of the State Duma have been accredited to attend the Sochi Winter Olympics as VIP guests; pp 1, 3 (700 words).

3. Editorial entitled "Sovereignty standards" implies that it is hypocrisy to doubt Ukraine's sovereignty while constantly accusing others of trying to interfere in Russia's internal affairs; pp 1, 6 (400 words).

4. Polina Khimshiyashvili and Alexei Nikolsky article headlined "Maidan wants more" says the Ukrainian opposition is not happy with the resignation of PM Mykola Azarov and continues to call for an early presidential election; p 2 (500 words).

5. Maria Zheleznova and Maxim Glikin article called "Left agreement" says the Communist Party of the Russian Federation and the A Just Russia party are tentatively negotiating a coalition amid a transition from proportional representation to a single winner voting system; p 2 (400 words).

6. Lilia Biryukova and Polina Khimshiashvili article headlined "Russia and EU: short, but honest talk" quotes Sergei Utkin of the Russian Academy of Sciences as saying that the Jan. 28 Russia-EU summit "went off well" because President Vladimir Putin raised the issue of a possible free trade zone with the EU; p 3 (250 words).

7. Maxim Tovkaylo et al. article called "Putin returns to government" previews the second extended meeting of the Russian cabinet to be chaired by President Putin today, saying that by doing so, Putin is apparently taking over decision-making in the government; p 5 (600 words).

8. Dmitry Trenin of the Carnegie Moscow Centre op-ed headlined "Dissociation of Europe" comments on the Jan. 28 Russia-EU summit; p 6 (800 words).

9. Ilya Klishin article headlined "Fighting wind hashtags" comments on the appearance of anti-opposition hashtags in Russian twittosphere; p 7 (500 words).

Izvestia

1. Anastasia Kashevarova article headlined "Alfa-Group cooperated with Alexei Navalny" says that according to exclusive materials available to Izvestia, the ownership of the Alfa-Group financial enterprise supported its employee Vladimir Ashurkov, who helped Navalny get financing for his opposition activities. Moreover, Alfa-Group supplied Navalny with blackmail materials aimed against his opponents, the article says; pp 1, 3 (900 words).

2. Alena Sivkova article headlined "Governors to be banned from spending money for self-promotion" says that the Finance Ministry is drafting an initiative that would optimize the spendings on media coverage of regional governors' activities; pp 1-2 (500 words).

3. Dmitry Yevstifeyev article headlined "Partner of former minister Yelena Skrynnik brings accomplices under amnesty" says that following the softening of charges against former Deputy Agriculture Minister Alexei Bazhanov, investigators reconsidered charges against other case defendants as well; pp 1, 4 (450 words).

4. Viktor Loginov article headlined "Rostelekom and Tele2 invite Provotorov to pay supporting role" says that Rostelekom's ex-president and current head of Tele2 Russia Alexander Provotorov will become the deputy head of a new joint project the companies are setting up; pp 1, 4 (500 words).

5. Tatyana Shirmanova article headlined "Business saving money in state banks" says that according to the latest bank reports, a considerable amount of enterprises' and corporations' money were transferred from private banks to state-owned ones in December 2013; pp 1, 4 (600 words).

6. Yegor Sozayev-Guriyev article headlined "Russia and EU discuss Eastern partnership and Ukrainian issue" features a factual report on the Russia-EU summit in Brussels; p 2 (500 words).

7. Anna Lyalyakina et al. article headlined "Weakening of ruble to result in consumer prices going up by 15 percent" predicts that the growth of dollar and euro will cause the rise in prices of alcohol, fish, clothes and gadgets on the Russian market; p 4 (800 words).

8. Svetlana Subbotina interview with Russian children's rights ombudsman Pavel Astakhov on his recent visit to UN and the current situation with Russian orphans; p 6 (1,000 words).

9. Yanina Sokolovskaya article headlined "Mykola Azarov's leave does not mean split of Ukrainian government" features pundits' comments on the latest developments around the Ukrainian crisis; p 7 (600 words).

10. Tigran Oganesyan article headlined "Network fights between Baku and Yerevan" comments on the cyber war between Azerbaijan and Armenia; p 7 (600 words).

Nezavisimaya Gazeta

1. Tatyana Ivzhenko article headlined "Azarov gone, Maidan stays" reports on the developments in Kiev following the resignation of Prime Minister Mykola Azarov and his cabinet, saying that it is unlikely to being peace to the streets of Kiev and other cities; pp 1, 7 (1,303 words).

2. Alexandra Samarina article headlined "State gets interested in party funds" says the Russian government is stepping up control over the spending of public funds allocated to political parties; pp 1, 3 (911 words).

3. Alina Terekhova article called "Lobbyists say introduction of electricity ration was success" says a pilot project to introduce electricity consumption quotas in seven region of Russia has been deemed a success; pp 1, 4 (850 words).

4. Svetlana Gavrilina article entitled "Rodina to fight against tolerance" reports that the St. Petersburg branch of the Motherland, or Rodina, party is organizing a Russian National Forum that is due to take place in March and will focus on the drawbacks of the policy of ethnic tolerance; pp 1, 5 (501 words).

4. Anton Khodasevich article headlined "Lukashenko against private business and IMF advice" says Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko has again made it clear that he is strongly in favor of state control over agriculture, while the International Monetary Fund predicts the country will become less competitive and if it does not liberalize its economy; pp 1, 7 (683 words).

5. Yury Panyev article called "EuroMaidan ruins appetite at lunch in Brussels" reports on the 32nd Russia-EU summit; says the event that had been planned to continue two days boiled down to a three-hour meeting due to tension between Russia and Europe over Ukraine and other issues; pp 1, 8 (858 words).

6. Viktor Litovkin article headlined "Medication for military medicine" says that 4.1 million rubles ($118,400) has been allocated for the renovation of Kirov Military Medical Academy in St. Petersburg. The facility was visited by Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu on JaN. 28; p 2 (568 words).

7. Igor Gashkov article called "Russian Orthodox Church warns state against recognizing same-sex marriages" looks at the anti-gay stance of the Russian Orthodox Church that was yesterday reiterated by Patriarch of Moscow and All Russia Kirill who said the legalization of same-sex marriage was one of the threats to Russian society; p 2 (489 words).

8. Editorial called "Fever on emerging markets" backs the policy of the Central Bank not to waste the country's foreign currency reserves on supporting the ruble's exchange rate; p 2 (511 words).

9. Alexei Gorbachev article headlined "Opposition haggling for march in support of Bolotnaya case defendants" says the opposition is heaving trouble securing permission from the Moscow authorities to hold a march in support of the Bolotnaya Ploshchad case suspects. Pundit Alexei Makarkin says the unrest in Ukraine has made Russian authorities even more fearful of protests; p 2 (539 words).

10. Gleb Postnov column headlined "Carte Blanche. Tatar academician recalls local celebrities" looks at a proposal of academician Ruzal Yusupov to launch a publicity campaign to celebrate renowned Tatar culture and sports figures; p 3 (499 words).

11. Yekaterina Trifonov article called "Migrants will be helped to find jobs" forecasts that more immigrants from Central Asia will arrive in Russia because instead of work permits they will be required to take out employment patents, the number of which is unlimited; p 3 (711 words).

12. Ivan Rodin article called "Interior Ministry thinks of way to protect witnesses" details a new more secure witness protection program devised by the Russian Interior Ministry that is still not enough because government agencies are prone to corruption; p 3 (585 words).

13. Oleg Nikiforov article entitled "Currency reefs of Russian economy" doubts that the Finance Ministry's policy of slowly devaluing the ruble will help the government fulfil its social obligations; p 4 (478 words).

14. Sergei Kiselev article headlined "Last of varangians" analyses the political and social situation in the republic of Buryatia to detect signs of governor Vyacheslav Nagovitsyn's looming departure; p 5 (891 words).

15. Tatyana Dvoinova article called "Unsafe Maritime Territory" says crime rates are rising in Maritime Territory, while local law-enforcers are apparently painting a brighter picture; p 6 (663 words).

16. Daria Tsilyurik article headlined "Lavrov and Rasmussen agree on chemical weapons" reports the results of the Jan. 28 meeting between Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov and NATO Secretary-General Anders Fogh Rasmussen; p 8 (588 words).

17. Sergei Turanov article called "50 most influential businessmen and investors" presents a ranking of the top 50 Russian businessmen who has the most influence in politics; p 9 (1,362 words).

18. Igor Putintsev article headlined "Russian speaking population needs protection" looks at the lessons to be learnt by Moldova, Russian and Ukraine from sovereignty trends in Gagauzia, an autonomous unit of Moldova; p 9 (1,338 words).

19. Andrei Zagorsky article called "Battle for Arctic has not started yet, but is over already" reviews the state of affairs in the Arctic, an area that "has turned from a Cold War confrontation area into a region of intensifying cooperation"; p 10 (2,160 words).

Rossiiskaya Gazeta

1. Kira Latukhina article headlined "No division lines" reports on the Russia-EU summit in Brussels, notes that "a maximum number of issues" were discussed; p 2 (888 words).

2. Yevgeny Shestakov article called "Ambassador of internal affairs" contemplates what turn the situation in Ukraine might take after the resignation of Mykola Azarov's cabinet; pp 1, 8 (942 words),

3. Fedor Lukyanov column headlined "Fight for interspace" looks at Ukraine in the broader context of East Europe and competition between Russia and the EU for influence in the former Soviet space; p 6 (622 words).

4. Alexander Yemelyanenkov article entitled "Near-nuclear blackmail" says security has been stepped at nuclear facilities in Ukraine amid unrest in the country; p 8 (414 words).

5. Roman Markelov article headlined "ruble demonstrates character" quotes the head of the Central Bank, Elvira Nabiullina, as saying that ruble rate may soon go up and stabilize; pp 1, 3 (650 words).

Moskovsky Komsomolets

1. Oleg Bazak article headlined "Azarov and laws retired" reports on the recent developments in the Ukrainian crisis; pp 1, 3 (500 words).

2. Maxim Grigoriyev article headlined "Emergency Situations Ministry to look after Sochi from space" reports on the assessment session of the Emergency Situations Ministry activities in 2013, which was headed by Prime Minister Dmitry Medvedev. The latter remained satisfied with the ministry's work, adding that providing security at the Sochi Olympics is the top priority now; p 2 (300 words).

3. Natalia Rozhkova article headlined "St. Petersburg as cradle of coalition" says that the Communist Party of the Russian Federation and the A Just Russia party may form a coalition ahead of municipal elections in St. Petersburg; p 2 (300 words).

4. Marina Perevozkina interview with pundit Vladimir Kornilov on the latest Ukrainian developments; p 3 (1,000 words).

Novaya Gazeta

1. Sergei Kanev interview headlined "I have not given up" with Alexander Trushkin, former head of the Moscow criminal investigation department, who speaks about what, in fact, is going on in the Moscow police; pp 2-3 (1,900 words).

2. Olga Musafirova report "Azarov dethrones himself" says that the resignation of Ukrainian Prime Minister Mykola Azarov and his cabinet is the first noticeable result of the negotiations between the authorities and the opposition; p 5 (450 words).

3. Pavel Kanygin interview headlined "West. Ideas for revolution" with Lviv mayor Andry Sadovy who speaks about the situation in Ukraine and prospects of relations with Russia; pp 8-9 (1,900 words).

4. Yelena Masyuk interview headlined "Patriarch Kirill sort of assumes role of KGB" with priest Gleb Yakunin who looks at the situation in the Russian Orthodox Church and its relations with the state; pp 16-17 (3,100 words).

5. Slava Taroshchina report "Why is Sevastopol silent?" comments on how Russian television covers the situation in Ukraine; p 24 (1,000 words).

RBK Daily

1. Inga Vorobyeva report "Insurance against Pikalevo effect" says that the government is preparing to take steps and support single-industry towns against the background of worsening forecasts of the economy growth; pp 1, 3 (750 words).

2. Alexander Litoi report "Parliament is place for revolution" says that Ukrainian parliament members have repealed "dictatorial" laws and President Viktor Yanukovych has accepted the resignation of Prime Minister Mykola Azarov; p 2 (900 words).

3. Andrei Kotov report "Play using everything" says that Vladimir Putin has made a political decision not to stop giving assistance to Ukraine even after the Ukrainian president has made unprecedented concessions to the opposition. Putin made statements about Russia's loans and gas deals with Ukraine at a news conference in Brussels after talks with EU leaders; p 3 (600 words).

4. Katerina Kitayeva report "Cable television association decides to educate Dozhd television" says that the president of Russia's cable television association believes that operators should disconnect Dozhd television from broadcasting over a poll posted on its website asking viewers whether the city of Leningrad should have surrendered to Nazi Germany during World War II; p 9 (800 words).

5. Katerina Kitayeva report "STS Media tunes to love" says that the media holding company STS Media is launching a new television channel; p 9 (300 words).

Noviye Izvestia

1. Dmitry Antonov interview with sports minister Vitaly Mutko; pp 1, 6 (900 words).

2. Yana Sergeyeva report "Fragile compromise" says that the Ukrainian authorities and the opposition have reached an agreement that may put an end to confrontation in the country; pp 1-2 (900 words).

3. Anna Alexeyeva "Children's matinee against the background of Kiev" looks at the trial of Bolotnaya case defendants and says that their lawyers have demanded that the policemen, who dispersed the rally on Moscow's Bolotnaya Ploshchad on 6 May 2012, be punished; pp 1, 5 (950 words).

4. Vardan Ogandzhanyan report "Father to answer for son" says that a bill introducing criminal responsibility for terrorists' relatives has been tabled with the State Duma; p 2 (500 words).

5. Artem Lunkov report "Catch with global network" says that according to the Public Chamber, "voluntary cyber patrols" will be set up within a month to fight against crime in the internet; p 2 (650 words).

Komsomolskaya Pravda

1. Yelena Krivyakina report "Putin visits summit of challenges" looks at the Russia-EU summit in Brussels; p 2 (500 words).

2. Maxim Volodin report "Yanukovych gives up Azarov" looks at the latest developments in Ukraine and features a Russian expert's comment; p 5 (750 words).

3. Andrei Baranov report "Biden's telephone right" looks at the telephone conversation between U.S. Vice President Joe Biden and Ukrainian President Viktor Yanukovych; p 5 (600 words).

Krasnaya Zvezda

1. Alexander Gerasimov report "Revolutionary alternative" looks at the recent developments in Ukraine; pp 1, 3 (1,200 words).

2. Anna Polyakova report "Dialogues in Brussels" looks at the Russia-EU summit; p 3 (450 words).

Trud

1. Sergei Frolov article headlined "What to do and who is to blame?" analyses the current situation in Ukraine and features a Russian expert's comment on the issue; p 2 (1,200 words).

Argumenty i Fakty

1. Georgy Zotov report "Ukrainian winter" looks at the situation in Ukraine and features comments of two Russian analysts; p 6 (2,100 words).

2. Vyacheslav Kostikov report "Winston Vladimirovich" looks at President Vladimir Putin and at Russians' attitude to him; p 8 (1,700 words).

Jan. 29, 2014 / BBC Monitoring / ©BBC