What the Papers Say, May 21, 2013

Kommersant

1. Yulia Rybina and Nikolay Sergeyev article headlined "Ramazan Abdulatipov reminded about terrorist traditions" gives details of the bombings in Dagestan, in which four people have been killed and over 40 injured; pp 1, 6 (732 words).

2. Irina Nagornykh et al. report headlined "Not in ranks, only nearby" says the All-Russia People's Front is finishing preparation for its congress to be held on 11-12 June and to be attended by President Vladimir Putin; pp 1-2 (635 words).

3. Pavel Belavin article headlined "Government to return lottery to circulation" says the Economic Development Ministry has come up with an initiative to ease control over the lottery market; pp 1, 13 (562 words).

4. Khalil Aminov article headlined "Viktor Vekselberg points at Azimut" says businessman Viktor Vekselberg has allowed Azimut Hotels of Aleksandr Klyachin to manage his hotel facilities being built for the Sochi Olympics; pp 1, 12 (658 words).

5. Viktor Khamrayev article headlined "United Russia and Alexei Kudrin share responsibility for stagnation" says former Finance Minister Alexei Kudrin has accused United Russia and the government of failure to boost the economic development in Russia, while the ruling party blamed the former minister for the problems; p 2 (840 words).

6. Oleg Rubnikovich article headlined "A Just Russia hands over deputy for trial and investigation" says A Just Russia MP Ilya Ponomaryov is facing prosecution over high royalties he received for his lectures from the Skolkovo Foundation. The deputy may be stripped of his immunity, the article notes; p 4 (564 words).

7. Ilya Barabanov article headlined "KirovLes case to be classified for age 18+" reports on the progress in the KirovLes timber company case, in which opposition activist Alexei Navalny is charged; p 5 (602 words).

8. Maxim Ivanov article headlined "Levada Center being labelled as foreign agent" says the prosecutor's office considers public opinion polls to be a political activity and demands that the Levada Center get registered as a foreign agent; p 5 (700 words).

9. Sergei Strokan article headlined "India bars NGOs from foreign funding" says the Indian authorities' decision to prohibit foreign financing of NGOs criticizing the country's government has given rise to criticism; p 7 (583 words).

10. Pavel Tarasenko article headlined "China pulls fishermen out of North Korea" says Beijing demands that North Korea free 16 Chinese fishermen detained by a group of North Koreans. Experts believe Pyongyang is disappointed with its neighbor's stance on the North Korean nuclear program; p 7 (580 words).

Nezavisimaya Gazeta

1. Ivan Rodin article headlined "Kudrin happens to be in Naryshkin's retinue" says former Finance Minister Alexei Kudrin, speaking at a round table discussion in the State Duma, has criticized the work of Medvedev's cabinet and called on United Russia to share responsibility for economic stagnation with the government; pp 1, 3 (765 words).

2. Sergei Kulikov article headlined "Sergei Stepashin demands moratorium" comments on Audit Chamber head Sergei Stepashin's proposal to freeze public utilities tariffs for three years in Russia. The plans are unlikely to be implemented, the author notes; pp 1, 4 (876 words).

3. Alexei Gorbachev article headlined "'Bolotnaya [Ploshchad rally] case' goes to Europe" says that Russian opposition activists will inform the European Parliament about political prisoners in Russia at a special meeting on June 5. The issue may be raised at the Russia-EU summit later, the article notes; pp 1, 3 (521 words).

4. Tatyana Ivzhenko article headlined "Crimean Tatars merge with 'Freedom'" says the head of the Crimean Tatar Majlis, Mustafa Dzhemilev, is going to step down to give way to younger and more radical leaders who will demand broader autonomy of the region; pp 1, 6 (844 words).

5. Sokhbet Mamedov article headlined "Baku and Moscow do not want to come to agreement" says Russia's Qabala radar facility in Azerbaijan has been closed due to political disagreements between the countries; pp 1, 6 (596 words).

6. Vladimir Skosyrev article headlined "Chinese dragon tries to get round Indian elephant" says Beijing is worried about the growing U.S. influence over India and has come up with some proposals to improve Chinese-Indian relations. The author notes that the plan will be hard to implement due to the border dispute and the presence of Dalai Lama in India; pp 1, 7 (570 words).

7. Editorial headlined "Dirty Gazprom" condemns the Russian authorities' decision not to take part in the post-Kyoto cooperation as Gazprom is one of the worst pollutants in the world; p 2 (482 words).

8. Alexandra Samarina article headlined "Dmitry Medvedev's court presence" predicts that Dmitry Medvedev may be offered a senior post in the Russian legal system if he is dismissed. He is likely to become a new chairman of the Constitutional Court, the author notes; p 3 (1,027 words).

9. Darya Tsilyurik article headlined "Al-Qaida starts hunting for U.S. ambassadors" says U.S. diplomats working in North Africa and the Middle East today risk their lives as much as the military because Islamist groups are targeting U.S. diplomats in the region; p 7 (709 words).

10. Yuriy Paniyev article headlined "Cameron to drain tax oasis" says British Prime Minister David Cameron has demanded that overseas territories step up the fight against tax evasion; p 7 (456 words).

11. Alexei Gorbachev interview with the Yabloko party faction leader in the St. Petersburg parliament and the party's founder, Grigory Yavlinsky, speaking on his relations with Putin, opposition leader Alexei Navalny and the Russian opposition in general; pp 9, 11 (2100 words).

Vedomosti

1. Maria Dranishnikova and Anton Filatov article headlined "Roman Trotsenko goes to Vostok" says businessman Roman Trotsenko may buy the Vostok tower of the Federatsia developers project in the center of Moscow; pp 1, 19 (530 words).

2. Anastasia Kornya et al. report headlined "Agent sociology" says Russian prosecutors have warned NGOs receiving foreign grants that public opinion polls are considered to be political activity in Russia; thus, the Levada Center has to get registered as a foreign agent; pp 1-2 (556 words).

3. Editorial headlined "Movement code" looks at the shortcomings of the Russian migration law; pp 1, 6 (386 words).

4. Maxim Glikin and Lilia Biryukova article headlined "Nashi become Yours" says that Nashi youth movement commissars have decided to set up a new movement, Sincerely Yours, to be headed by Vasily Yakemenko. The movement is to develop social projects and plans to come into power by 2024, the author says; p 2 (605 words).

5. Another editorial headlined "Closed openness" comments on delay with Russian accession to the Open Government Partnership; p 6 (305 words).

Rossiiskaya Gazeta

1. Yelena Domcheva article headlined "Code lock" outlines new regulations for the work of public utilities companies adopted by the Russian government; pp 1, 4 (516 words).

2. Roman Markelov article headlined "Dollar rolls into June" says economic experts do not expect the US dollar to go down in value in the near future; pp 1-2 (425 words).

3. Mikhail Falaleyev article headlined "In prison live" says all pre-trial detention centers in Russia are to be equipped with web cameras to avoid human rights violations there; pp 1, 9 (608 words).

4. Yuriy Gavrilov article headlined "Mistral not expected in Crimea" says the second aircraft carrier of Mistral class will be built for the Russian Navy in France by 2017. It is likely to be deployed to a new base in Novorossiisk; p 2 (420 words).

5. Leonid Radzikhovsky article headlined "Open: Do not enter" slams Russian opposition leaders for a lack of new ideas and an "imitation of political struggle"; p 3 (790 words).

6. Timur Aliyev article headlined "They aimed at bailiffs" comments on the double terrorist attack in Dagestan, in which four people have been killed and over 40 injured; p 6 (320 words).

Izvestia

1. Dmitry Yevstifeyev and Andrei Gridasov article headlined "British American Tobacco charged with tax evasion" says the Russian affiliate of the British American Tobacco, the world's largest cigarette manufacturer, has been accused of tax evasion. Investigation believes the company failed to pay 335 million rubles (around $11 million) in taxes in 2008-09. The company's management finds the charges groundless, the article says; pp 1-2 (677 words).

2. Ivan Cheberko article headlined "Dragon ousts Progress from space" says the Russian Energia space corporation has said that demand for Progress rockets is falling due to the use of Dragon cargo spacecraft by NASA; pp 1, 4 (622 words).

3. Vladimir Zykov article headlined "Odnoklassniki change owners twice a month" says the Odnoklassniki social network was first bought by a Cypriot company this March and re-sold to another Cypriot firm in April, while Mail.Ru Group remains the real owner of the service; pp 1, 4 (495 words).

4. Dmitriy Yevstifeyev and Andrei Gridasov article headlined "Bailiff appears in Makhachkala terrorist attack case" reports on the probe into the double bombing in Makhachkala, in which four people have died and around 50 have been injured; pp 1, 4 (555 words).

5. Anton Mardasov article headlined "Purges among top management begin in Skolkovo" comments on the resignation of Skolkovo vice-president Seda Pumpyanskaya; pp 1, 4 (489 words).

6. Anastasia Kashevarova and Anton Mardasov article headlined "New Audit Chamber to be formed ahead of schedule" says the new staff of the Russian Audit Chamber will be formed in June, not October, as previously planned; p 2 (654 words).

7. Yulia Tsoi article headlined "Sergei Shoigu on top of government rating" says Russian defense Minister Sergei Shoigu has been found the most effective minister by a group of experts. Meanwhile, Far Eastern Development Minister Viktor Ishayev is at the bottom of the rating; p 3 (603 words).

8. Alexei Mikhailov article headlined "Russia take out bottom ballistic missile" says the test of the new ballistic missile Skif will begin in the Arctic Ocean in June; p 5 (340 words).

9. Maria Gorkovskaya article headlined "Tunisia on the verge of new revolution" says latest clashes between Salafists and the police in Tunisia have affected the security situation in the country; p 7 (530 words).

10. Konstantin Volkov article headlined "Syria and Israel become allies against their will" says the Israeli intelligence service head has said that Bashar Assad's regime is better that the chaos created by Islamists who might come into power in Syria; p 7 (424 words).

Moskovsky Komsomolets

1. Yekaterina Petukhova and Lina Panchenko article headlined "Two bombs brought to mayor's son?" says according to one theory, the double bombing in Makhachkala could be an attempt on the life of the city mayor's son; pp 1-2 (424 words).

2. Mikhail Rostovsky article headlined "Taming of Russia: What America really wants from Kremlin" looks at Russian-U.S. relations and compares them with the US policy towards the UK during World War II. The author believes the Magnitsky Act is used by Washington to have greater influence over Russia and slams the Russian opposition for supporting the controversial act; pp 1, 6 (2,620 words).

3. Another article by Mikhail Rostovsky headlined "Mutual suffering government" reviews the results of the first year of Medvedev's cabinet work; pp 1-2 (930 words).

4. Marina Ozerova article headlined "Hello, we look for guilty!" says former Finance Minister Alexei Kudrin and the ruling United Russia party have shifted the responsibility for economic stagnation on to each other at a roundtable discussion in the State Duma on May 20; pp 1-2 (550 words).

RBK Daily

1. Svetlana Makunina report "Kudrin forecasts hard times for Medvedev" looks at former Finance Minister Alexei Kudrin's speech at the State Duma on May 20. According to Kudrin, the work of Prime Minister Dmitry Medvedev's government over the year is unsatisfactory; p 2 (900 words).

2. Aleksandr Litoi report "Resistance force" says that Russia's leading independent polling organization Levada Center has made a statement that it may stop carrying out public opinion polls owing to a warning issued by a prosecutor's office; p 2 (850 words).

3. Yulia Yakovleva report "Kremlin's calls" looks at the bill on the Federal Assembly specifying the status of State Duma and Federation Council members; p 2 (800 words).

Noviye Izvestia

1. Diana Yevdokimova report "Do they choose parents?" says that the State Duma wants to ban foreigners from the countries where same-sex marriages are allowed, from adopting Russian children; pp 1, 5 (650 words).

2. Anna Alexeyeva report "Slave and law" says that the State Duma and the Federal Migration Service have set up a working group to draft the Russian Migration Code. Labour migrants' travel will be restricted in Russia, article says; pp 1, 5 (800 words).

3. Nadezhda Krasilova report "Pulp fiction" says that opposition lawmaker Ilya Ponomaryov may be deprived of deputy immunity and prosecuted; p 2 (800 words).

4. Vera Moslakova report "Half-opened rostrum" looks at the "Open Rostrum" meeting at the State Duma to discuss problems of Russia's political system. "Disloyal opinions" of the participants went unheard, article says; p 2 (900 words).

5. Valentin Boinik report "Complex of missile inferiority" says that Israel may get involved in the civil war in Syria; p 2 (600 words).

6. Anatoly Stepovoi report "Is father responsible for son?" says that opposition blogger Alexei Navalny's father has been summoned to the Investigations Committee for questioning; p 2 (550 words).

7. Sergei Putilov report "Regions ask for ruble" says that according to former Finance Minister Alexei Kudrin, Russian regions will be unable to increase salaries of public sector employees in the next two years; p 3 (700 words).

8. Yulia Zabavina report "Clouds gather over innovation" says that the authorities' fight against political opposition has put in question the future of the innovation foundation Skolkovo; p 3 (900 words).

Krasnaya Zvezda

1. Marianna Yevdotyeva interview headlined "Europe's military security: New opportunities" with Sergei Koshelev, head of the Russian defense Ministry's Main Directorate for International Military Cooperation; pp 1, 3 (2,700 words).

2. Viktor Ruchkin report "Damascus launches offensive" looks at the situation in Syria and says that Bashar Assad does not rule out military intervention in the country; p 3 (1,000 words).

Moskovskiye Novosti

1. Ksenia Turkova interview with Anatoly Lysenko, head of Public TV, who looks at the issue of language used in the mass media; pp 4-5 (1,700 words).

2. Irina Granik report "May Day meeting" looks at the results of the first year of work of Dmitriy Medvedev's government; pp B2-B3 (2,100 words).

3. Anastasia Matveyeva report features analysts' comments on the performance of Medvedev's government; p B4 (900 words).

Komsomolskaya Pravda

1. Vladimir Sungorkin and Yelena Krivyakina interview headlined "Dmitriy Medvedev: A crisis similar to 2008 won't happen" with Prime Minister Dmitriy Medvedev who sums up the results of the first year of his government; pp 1, 4-5 (4,000 words).

2. Brief unattributed report featuring Alexei Kudrin's statement on United Russia's responsibility for the country's stagnation and senior United Russia lawmaker Andrei Isayev's reply saying that this statement is "utterly cynical"; p 3 (100 words).

3. Aleksandr Grishin report "FSB eliminated militants who prepared terrorist attacks in Moscow" says that the Federal Security Service has eliminated two militants and detained one in Moscow Region; p 6 (150 words).

Trud

1. Kirill Glebov report "Two blasts in Makhachkala; terrorist attack prevented in Moscow" looks at a terrorist attack in Dagestan and a special operation carried out in Moscow Region to prevent an attack in Moscow; p 1 (500 words).

2. Sergei Frolov report "Carpet information bombing" looks at Alexei Kudrin's speech at the State Duma on May 20, assessing the work of the government as "unsatisfactory"; p 2 (700 words).

Tvoi Den

1. Alexander Popov report "Who will pay bill of exchange" says that Russian tycoon Viktor Vekselberg has been questioned over embezzlement in Skolkovo; p 2 (450 words).

Related articles:

• What the Papers Say, May 20, 2012
• What the Papers Say, May 17, 2012
• What the Papers Say, May 16, 2012