What the Papers Say, Nov. 30, 2012

Kommersant

1. Oleg Rubnikovich et al. report headlined "Pipes Stolen in St Petersburg" says that a group of Moscow law enforcement officials has conducted a large-scale operation in St. Petersburg to detain members of an organized crime group suspected of stealing at least 3 billion rubles allocated for the construction and overhaul of the heating supply system in the city; pp 1, 4 (889 words).

2. Oleg Trutnev article headlined "Fitness Plan Offered to Investors" says that Russian Fitness Group, the owner of the World Class and Fizkult chains of fitness centers, is looking for a buyer; pp 1, 12 (704 words).

3. Andrei Kolesnikov report headlined "Process of Far Eastern Settlement" gives an ironic account of the session of the State Council's presidium chaired by President Vladimir Putin, where participants discussed the development of the Far East and Zabaikalsky region; pp 1, 6 (1,235 words).

4. Kirill Belyaninov and Gennady Sysoyev article headlined "Magnitsky's Short List" says that Barack Obama's administration has all of a sudden changed its viewpoint and backed lawmakers advocating the stance that the Magnitsky list should apply only to Russian officials. The White House is trying to avoid complications with China and Arab countries over the list, a source in the U.S. State Department says; pp 1, 7 (580 words).

5. Sofya Samokhina article headlined "Sergei Naryshkin Involves Non-Systemic Parties in Lawmaking" says the second session of the council of non-parliamentary parties under the State Duma speaker, Sergei Naryshkin, is set for today and looks at the agenda; p 2 (513 words).

6. Maxim Ivanov article headlined "Trust Approaching December" says that approval ratings of Russia's top leaders have reached a minimum, like in December 2011. Experts attribute the trend to an avalanche of high-profile corruption scandals; p 2 (705 words).

7. Ivan Safronov article headlined "Mikhail Dmitriyev Returns to Military and Technical State" says the former head of the Federal Service for Military and Technical Cooperation, Mikhail Dmitriyev, has become an advisor to Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu; p 2 (450 words).

8. Sergei Mashkin article headlined "Alexander Ignatenko Glad to Go Back to Motherland" says the main defendant in the criminal case of Moscow region prosecutors covering gambling business in the region, Alexander Ignatenko, was reportedly satisfied with the decision on his extradition from Poland to Russia; p 4 (704 words).

9. Ilya Shepelin article headlined "Opposition Activists Want to Come to FSB Themselves" says the opposition Coordination Council is going to submit an application Friday to stage a March of Freedom on Dec. 15. The opposition activists will insist on a route ending on the square in front of the building of the Federal Security Service; p 5 (383 words).

10. Grigory Tumanov and Anna Tolstova article headlined "Punk Prayer Serves Its Time" says that Moscow's Zamoskvoretsky District Court has ruled the scandalous videos of Pussy Riot's punk prayer in Christ the Savior Cathedral to be extremist; p 5 (556 words).

11. Alexei Shapovalov article headlined "Fossil of Yesterday" says hopes that Russia will join the Kyoto 2 Protocol should be abandoned and looks at the consequences; p 6 (509 words).

12. Pyotr Netreba article headlined "6 Months Only Groundwork" says that Prime Minister Dmitry Medvedev has summed up the results of six months of work of his government and outlined priorities for the next five years; p 6 (448 words).

13. Georgy Dvali article headlined "Georgia Exposes Murderers of 'Russian Spy'" says that Georgian law enforcement has resumed a probe into the violent death of a retired Georgian colonel charged with espionage for Russia. Following a severe beating, he died in a prison cell six days after his arrest in September 2011; p 7 (407 words).

14. Yelena Chernenko interview with the head of the Security and Disarmament Department of the Foreign Ministry, Mikhail Ulyanov, headlined "'It May Turn Into an Endless Story'," in which he comments on the U.S. cancelling a conference to discuss the ban on nuclear, chemical and biological weapons in the Middle East scheduled for mid-December; p 7 (710 words).

15. Dmitry Tratas article headlined "Rules of Game" comments on the appointment of Mark Carney as head of the British Central Bank; p 9 (365 words).

Nezavisimaya Gazeta

1. Sergei Kulikov article headlined "Brotherly Gas Vaudeville" says that Ukrainian authorities have failed to eliminate their dependence on Russian gas as a Spanish investor, Gas Natural Fenosa, refused to take part in the construction of an LNG terminal in Odessa; pp 1, 4 (950 words).

2. Yury Paniyev article headlined "America in Search of Political Compromise" says that Democrats and Republicans in the U.S. are faced with a number of problems to come to agreement on; pp 1, 8 (773 words).

3. Alexandra Samarina article headlined "Sociologists Measure Trust Toward Authorities" says that polls conducted by the Levada Center show that approval ratings of top leaders have significantly dropped. Experts attribute the trend to the growth of distrust in the authorities that cannot offer solutions to the most acute problems; pp 1, 3 (1,010 words).

4. Igor Naumov article headlined "Over 2 Bln Rubles Stolen From Banks" says the number of thefts with the help of computer and telecommunications technologies has grown by 60 percent in the first nine months in 2012; pp 1, 4 (766 words).

5. Alexei Gorbachev article headlined "Bolotnaya [Unrest] Case Starts Anew" says that law enforcement officials have initiated another criminal case against opposition activists and are preparing charges with public calls for the overthrow of the constitutional order; pp 1, 3 (546 words).

6. Anton Khodasevich article headlined "People Come to Belarus to Live Their Last Years" says that people capable of working keep fleeing from Belarus and looks at other trends on the country's labor market; pp 1, 7 (708 words).

7. Viktor Litovkin article headlined "Izhmash Works for U.S." looks at a news conference of the head of the Izhmash plant, Alexander Kosov, where he stated that the U.S. accounts for 83 percent of the plant's export of small arms; p 2 (678 words).

8. Editorial headlined "Moscow Breaks Format of Talks" comments on the failure of the 5+2 talks on the settlement of conflict over the Dniester region, Russia's role in it and wonders if Moscow has a well-thought-out policy regarding the issue; p 2 (515 words).

9. Lidia Orlova article headlined "Pussy Riot Enters Forbidden Zone" says that a Moscow court has ruled that Pussy Riot's video of the scandalous punk prayer is extremist, therefore access to the websites where it is posted will be limited; p 3 (383 words).

10. Alexei Mukhin article headlined "Year of Protest: Outcomes" looks back at the last year, analyzes the protests and says that society has completed a cycle, from protests to stability; p 3 (822 words).

11. Igor Naumov article headlined "Yelena Skrynnik Has Fence Against Ill Fortune" says that although law enforcement officials have enough evidence to launch a criminal case against former Agriculture Minister Yelena Skrynnik, she is unlikely to get a prison term as she has four small children; p 4 (614 words).

12. Article by Dmitry Orlov headlined "100 Leading Russian Politicians in November 2012" features a rating of Russia's leading politicians and changes in their influence; p 5 (1,949 words).

13. Svetlana Gamova article headlined "EU Makes Proposal to Chisinau" looks at the visit of European Commission head Manuel Barroso to Moldova; p 7 (775 words).

14. Tatyana Ivzhenko article headlined "Yanukovych Faced With Deficit of Brothers-in-Arms" says the upcoming reshuffle in the Ukrainian government may affect the government in Crimea; p 7 (818 words).

15. Vladimir Skosyrev article headlined "China Raises Stakes in Territorial Conflict" says that Beijing has empowered border police to board foreign vessels if they enter the South China Sea in the vicinity of the disputed islands; p 8 (462 words).

16. Nikolai Surkov article headlined "Outcome of War in Syria to Be Determined in Air" says that a turning point in the Syrian conflict is close as Bashar Assad's opponents will soon obtain efficient missile defense units and the U.S. is considering direct arms supplies to the opposition; p 8 (484 words).

Vedomosti

1. Margarita Lyutova et al. report headlined "'Diffusion and Dead Spots'" says that President Vladimir Putin has criticized the Far East Development Ministry, as its plans remain on paper, financial resources are being diffused and failures follow one after another; pp 1, 3 (1,100 words).

2. Bela Lyauv article headlined "City in Capital" says that some 150 billion rubles may be invested in the development of the huge territory of the ZiL car factory in Moscow; pp 1, 10 (900 words).

3. Anastasia Kornya and Alexei Nikolsky article headlined "Judges Not to Be Protected" says that following dismissals of police personnel, the Interior Ministry has drafted an updated list of facilities to be protected by police; pp 1-2 (1, 000 words).

4. Editorial headlined "Second Front" says the authorities are continuing their tough campaign against the opposition amid high-profile corruption cases; pp 1, 4 (500 words).

5. Maria Zheleznova article headlined "MMM Gets the Case" says that a Yekaterinburg court has initiated criminal proceedings against the opposition Coordination Council over fraud during its elections; p 2 (600 words).

Rossiiskaya Gazeta

1. Natalya Kozlova article headlined "Missing" says that Investigative Committee head Alexander Bastrykin has outlined steps to be taken to investigate crimes against children more efficiently; pp 1-2 (1,000 words).

2. Timofei Borisov interview with Emergency Situations Minister Vladimir Puchkov headlined "End of World Cancelled" in which he speaks about the work of his ministry and dismisses rumors about the end of the world to take place on Dec. 21; pp 1-2 (800 words).

3. Kira Latukhina article headlined "Less Bureaucracy" says that President Vladimir Putin has criticized Far East Development Minister Viktor Ishayev for red tape and few achievements and reproached him for failing to draft a state program of Far East development; p 2 (900 words).

4. Marina Volkova article headlined "Academy Against Corruption" looks at a visit of the head of the presidential administration, Sergei Ivanov, to Austria; p 2 (400 words).

5. Valery Vyzhutovich article headlined "Ban on Label" says the Federation Council has drafted a bill banning any use of Nazi symbols; p 3 (700 words).

6. Alyona Uzbekova article headlined "Messed With Visa" says that new regulations requiring European pilots to obtain visas in order to enter Russia may cause flight delays; p 5 (400 words).

7. Oxana Naralenkova interview with Anatoly Lysenko, general director of the new public television channel; p 6 (600 words).

8. Lev Grishin article headlined "Game of 10 Boxes" says that hackers from the group Anonymous have hacked the official Syrian Foreign Ministry website and found documents saying a Russian plane detained by Turkish authorities had not been carrying any forbidden military cargo; p 8 (500 words).

9. Article by Tair Mansurov, Secretary General of the Eurasian Economic Community, on the prospects and goals of the organization; p 17 (3,600 words).

Izvestia

1. Tatyana Shirmanova article headlined "U.S. Pharmaceutical Giant Ready to Invest $500M in Russia" says that Abbott Laboratories plans to buy the NPO Petrovaks Farm engaged in the production of immunomodulators and vaccines; pp 1, 5 (510 words).

2. Ivan Cheberko article headlined "Glonass Not to Be Launched This Year" says that a state commission has decided to postpone the launch of the Glonass-K2 satellite scheduled for late December over problems with the upper stage Fregat; pp 1, 4 (663 words).

3. Konstantin Pukemov article headlined "Oil Production Threatens Khanty and Mansi [Peoples]" says that growing oil production endangers the culture and mode of life of indigenous peoples in the region; p 7 (681 words).

4. Boris Mezhuyev article headlined "First Step Toward Competitive Politics" comments on Prime Minister Dmitry Medvedev's interview with newspaper Kommersant; p 9 (922 words).

5. Anna Lyalyakina article headlined "Madonna Sends Parcels to Pussy Riot" says that according to Nadezhda Tolokonnikova's husband Pyotr Verzilov, Madonna has offered financial help to jailed members of punk band Pussy Riot; pp 1, 4 (400 words).

Moskovsky Komsomolets

1. Olga Bozhyeva article headlined "Ordered to Sell Motherland" looks at violations made in the course of army reform; pp 1, 6 (2,311 words).

2. Natalya Rozhkova article headlined "Let Them Shout 'Motherland!'" says that a group of Just Russia members has demanded that a congress be held immediately and the party's leadership be re-elected. According to the newspaper's sources, the initiative was put forward by people close to the Rodina (Motherland) party, which used to be headed by Deputy Prime Minister Dmitry Rogozin; p 2 (527 words).

3. Stanislav Belkovsky article headlined "If Not Putin Then What?" ponders rumors about President Vladimir Putin's health problems and alternatives to him; p 3 (1,170 words).

4. Renat Abdullin article headlined "Why Does Palestine Need UN?" features experts' comments on the UN General Assembly's granting of a new status to Palestine; p 3 (577 words).

5. Anastasia Rodionova article headlined "Are There Patriots in Opposition?" features an interview with Alexander Belov, one of the leaders of the Russkiye movement, in which he speaks about the reasons behind nationalists' low rating in the opposition Coordination Council; p 5 (626 words).

RBC Daily

1. Ivan Petrov report "Laying Hands" says that Interior Minister Vladimir Kolokoltsev has issued an order introducing amendments to the list of officials who have access to tax secrets. The investigative police and the Interior Ministry's main directorate for combating extremism, Center E, have received access; pp 1-2 (650 words).

2. Yulia Yakovleva report "UN to Help" says that businessman Alexander Lebedev plans to submit an official inquiry with the Swiss prosecutor's office to check whether former Agriculture Minister Yelena Skrynnik owns the elite clinic La Prairie in Montreux; p 2 (500 words).

3. Svetlana Kolosova report "Test With Politics" says that according to statistics, three in five businessmen think about going into politics; p 7 (600 words).

Novaya Gazeta

1. Irek Murtazin report "Owner of Chronopay: Superagent or Victim of FSB?" looks at Pavel Vrublevsky, co-founder of ChronoPay, the country's largest processor of online payments. In Russia he was accused of organizing DDoS attacks on his rivals' websites and arrested, but later released, the article says; pp 1-3 (2,300 words).

2. Newspaper publishes article headlined "Magnitskiy Case: Fifth Dead Man" by Jerome Taylor and Cahal Milmo from The Independent that looks at a scandal in the U.K. over the sudden death of a Russian businessman whose evidence about "dirty" money from Russia made it possible to begin investigations in a number of European countries; p 4 (1,000 words).

3. Semen Novoprudsky report "Cossacks Turned Highwaymen" says that newly established Cossack patrols in central Moscow are as dangerous for the authorities as for ordinary people; p 5 (600 words).

4. Viktoria Rabotnova report "Impossible to Protest" says the Russian Constitutional Court is checking whether the recently adopted law on rallies is in line with the constitution; p 6 (800 words).

Komsomolskaya Pravda

1. Alexander Gamov interview with President Vladimir Putin's spokesman, Dmitry Peskov, who dispels rumors about President Vladimir Putin's ill health; p 2 (500 words).

2. Yevgeny Arsyukhin report "Will They Open Criminal Case Against Yelena Skrynnik?" looks at a scandal involving the former agriculture minister; p 4 (250 words).

3. Alexander Stepanov report "Wardens Beat Criminal Manners Out of Inmate. With Fists and Feet" about a video clip showing six wardens beating up an inmate in prison number 10 in Rostov-on-Don; p 5 (300 words).

4. Yevgeny Suchkov report "Journalist Who Wrote for Russian Media Made to 'Confess' to Spying" looks at a video clip on YouTube showing Ukrainian citizen Ankhar Kochneva, who worked as a stringer for Russian mass media outlets in Syria; p 6 (500 words).

Tvoi Den

1. Yekaterina Kvon report "Proved: Involved!" about more allegations in relation to former Defense Minister Anatoly Serdyukov; p 2 (350 words).

Krasnaya Zvezda weekly

1. Alexander Gerasimov report "Syria: To Stop Bloodshed" looks at efforts Russia is making to settle the crisis in Syria; p 3 (800 words).

Moskovskiye Novosti

1. Sonya Shpilberg interview with Open Government Relations Minister Mikhail Abyzov; p 6 (800 words).

Related articles:

• What the Papers Say, Nov. 29, 2012
• What the Papers Say, Nov. 28, 2012
• What the Papers Say, Nov. 27, 2012