What the Papers Say, Sep. 17, 2012

Kommersant

1. Ivan Safronov article headlined "Admiral Gorshkov Overheats in Barents Sea" says the handover of Russian aircraft carrier Admiral Gorshkov to India has been delayed again as its engines malfunctioned during sea trials; pp 1-2 (809 words).

2. Ilya Barabanov article headlined "Cossacks' Filters" reports on ethnic tensions in the Stavropol and Krasnodar regions; pp 1, 4 (2,330 words).

3. Nikolai Sergeiev article headlined "Cause and Effect Agencies" says law enforcement agencies whose investigations functions are expected to be transferred to the Investigative Committee are not happy with the plan, as the reform is underfunded and may paralyze the work of the respective departments; pp 1, 5 (798 words).

4. Natalya Skorlygina article headlined "Government Finds Alternative for Rosneftegaz" reports on a plan drafted by the Russian authorities to merge the Federal Network Company with MRSK Holding; pp 1, 11 (786 words).

5. Alina Sabitova article headlined "People Complain About Kaliningrad Mayor" says both mayoral hopefuls and the residents of Kaliningrad have been lashing out at the incumbent mayor, who is the United Russia candidate at the upcoming mayoral election, Alexander Yaroshuk; p 2 (499 words).

6. Viktor Khamrayev article headlined "New Ethnic Majority Emerges in Russia" comments on a new public movement, Narodnoye Bolshinstvo Rossii (Russian popular majority), which was created on President Putin's initiative; p 2 (661 words).

7. Alina Borodina article headlined "Alexei Navalny Appears on TV More Often" highlights a new trend in the TV coverage of opposition rallies: one of the key leaders, Alexei Navalny, featured in most TV reports of the recent March of Millions rally in Moscow; p 3 (270 words).

8. Alexander Chernykh et al. report headlined "March of Millions Gets Stuck" says street protests are losing popularity in Russia as only the rally in Moscow was attended by a relatively large number of participants on Sep. 15. Rallies held in other cities failed to gather more than 1,000 supporters; p 3 (787 words).

9. Taisia Bekbulatova et al. article headlined "Election With No Result" says that public discussion of candidates for membership in the Presidential Human Rights Council will have little impact as the final decision will be made by the council chairman and the president himself; p 3 (900 words).

10. Ilya Barabanov interview with Vyacheslav Postavnin, former deputy director of the Federal Migration Service who is now heading the Migration 21 century fund, speaking on ethnic tensions in Russian regions; p 4 (502 words).

11. Kirill Belyaninov article headlined "U.S.A. Gets Ready for 'Arab Winter'" says the Pentagon is sending troops to 18 countries following anti-American protests there. Experts are afraid that the protests may grow into a protracted crisis in relations between the U.S.A. and the Arab world; p 7 (598 words).

12. Sergei Strokan article headlined "Autumn Tension Over Islands" says the territorial conflict between China and Japan is escalating; p 7 (580 words).

13. Yelena Chernenko interview with acting Russian envoy to NATO Nikolai Korchunov speaking on the Kavkaz 2012 military drills, saying that they pose no threat to Georgia; p 7 (522 words).

Nezavisimaya Gazeta

1. Alexei Gorbachev and Svetlana Gamzayeva article headlined "Bolotnaya Ploshchad Protesters Get It Wrong With Crowd Scenes" says the opposition rally held on Sep. 15 failed to attract many people and urges the opposition leaders to establish a new agenda to attract supporters; pp 1-2 (1,105 words).

2. Tatyana Ivzhenko article headlined "Yulia Tymoshenko Faces Getting Repeat Criminal Status" says supporters of the jailed ex-prime minister of Ukraine, Yulia Tymoshenko, accuse the ruling Party of Regions of being involved in the 1996 murder of a Ukrainian lawmaker and businessman; pp 1, 6 (892 words).

3. Alexandra Samarina article headlined "Fight With TV Shadow" reports on the start of election campaign on Russian regional TV channels; pp 1, 3 (522 words).

4. Anastasia Bashkatova article headlined "Capital Unattractiveness of Russian Economy" says a record amount of money, $178 million, was withdrawn from investment funds operating on the Russian stock market between Sep. 6 and 12. The trend shows that capital is continuing to leave the country; pp 1, 4 (823 words).

5. Artur Blinov article headlined "Black Flags Above Cities of World" says anti-Western rallies by Islamists first aimed against the U.S.A. are now being held against European countries as well. A controversial film is becoming a reason for rallies and international tensions, the author notes; pp 1, 6 (688 words).

6. Editorial headlined "Co-Working or Vrubel's Majolica: Will They Get Along Well Together?" comments on a reform of Russian arts museums and galleries planned by the Culture Ministry; p 2 (470 words).

7. Anna Poletayeva article headlined "Creative Class Ignores Saturday March" contemplates the reasons for the opposition's failure to draw in the so-called "creative class" to their latest protest; p 2 (920 words).

8. Stanislav Ivanov article headlined "They Blow Up Baghdad and Target Damascus" comments on a recent wave of violence in Iraq where at least 60 people were killed in 16 explosions; p 3 (813 words).

9. Ivan Rodnin article headlined "Zorkin to Study Legal Nonsense" says that the Constitutional Court is becoming involved in the case of former State Duma Deputy Gennday Gudkov, who was stripped of his State Duma membership on Sep. 14. Gudkov's supporters say he should file an appeal with the European Court of Human Rights; p 3 (800 words).

10. Sergei Kulikov and Mikhail Sergeyev article headlined "Ben Bernanke Makes Moscow Happy" says measures taken by the chairman of the U.S. Federal Reserve, Ben Bernanke, to help the U.S. economy may result in a hike in oil prices, which would assist the Russian economy as well; p 4 (800 words).

11. Anton Khodasevich article headlined "Minsk and Moscow Test Each Other" says that President Vladimir Putin and Belarussian President Alexander Lukashenko held an informal meeting in Sochi over the weekend; p 6 (700 words).

12. Viktor Litovkin article headlined "In the Army: Passions Over Caucasus" comments on the beginning of the Kavkaz 2012 command and staff drills; p 8 (675 words).

13. Alexandra Samarina article headlined "Week in Politics: Scandal Smokescreens" analyzes the most prominent political events of the week — namely the expulsion of Deputy Gennady Gudkov from the State Duma and the Sep. 15 opposition rally; p 8 (520 words).

14. Alexander Knyazev article headlined "Caspian Becomes Militarized" says that the Caspian Sea is becoming an arena of new political tensions in the region with the growing influence of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization; p 11 (1400 words).

15. Yury Paniyev article headlined "Russia Targets Far East" reviews Russia's declarations about the Asia-Pacific region becoming the country's political and economic priority; p 9 (600 words).

Vedomosti

1. Oksana Gavshina article headlined "Gunvor Retires" says the Gunvor oil trading company has reduced Russian oil purchases, presumably due to disagreements between Gunvor's Gennady Timchenko and Rosneft head Igor Sechin; p 1 (557 words).

2. Yevgenia Pismennaya article headlined "March of Thousands of Billions" says the pension reform planned by the Russian authorities risks inciting large-scale protests by pensioners in the 2020s; pp 1, 12 (2,769 words).

3. Maxim Tovkaylo et al. report headlined "Shoot-Out Cities" reviews the preparations for World Cup 2018 to be held in Russia; p 1 (505 words).

4. Editorial headlined "Education of Society" welcomes the opposition rallies as they help develop civil society in Russia; pp 1, 4 (528 words).

5. Lilia Biryukova and Natalia Kostenko article headlined "Morales, Gandhi, Gudkov" says the State Duma expelled Deputy Gennady Gudkov, however the A Just Russia party is yet to decide on who will take his seat; p 2 (500 words).

6. Maria Zheleznova article "Like Going to Work" says the opposition March of Millions held on Sep. 15 in Moscow and some Russian cities failed to attract new protesters; p 2 (500 words).

7. Another editorial headlined "Religion as Politics" compares the Dutch cartoon scandal with the current controversial film that triggered violent anti-U.S. protests in the Arab world; p 4 (265 words).

8. Kirill Kharatyan article headlined "Man of Week: Gennady Gudkov" says opposition State Duma Gennady Gudkov was expelled from the State Duma as punishment for being consistent and honest; p 4 (317 words).

9. Alexei Nikolsky interview with Deputy Prime Minister Dmitry Rogozin speaking on the Russian defense sector and plans to buy French aircraft carriers; p 5 (3,522 words).

Izvestia

1. Olga Tropkina article headlined "A Just Russia Members Recall Their Support for Gudkov" says A Just Russia members are recalling their signatures from the appeal to the Russian Constitutional Court filed to check the legality of the expulsion of Gennady Gudkov from the State Duma; pp 1-2 (471 words).

2. Roman Vetrov article headlined "Sochi to Have Its Own 101st Kilometer" reviews security measures to be taken in Sochi ahead of the 2014 Winter Olympics; pp 1-2 (730 words).

3. Polina Potapova article headlined "TV Channels Made to Show Sabantui [Tatar Festival]" says Russian authorities have instructed federal TV channels to make more programs about the cultural traditions of Russia's ethnic and religious minorities; pp 1-2 (608 words).

4. Ivan Konovalov article headlined "Admiral Gorshkov Fails Trials" says that the Russian-made aircraft carrier [formerly known as Admiral Gorshkov], which has been sold to India, has failed trials on the open sea; p 1-2 (500 words).

5. Vladimir Gusev and Vladimir Dergachev article headlined "Opposition March Gets Along Without Millions" says opposition rallies proceeded without any surprises or provocation on Sep. 15; p 3 (1,125 words).

6. Yury Matsarsky article headlined "Obama and Romney to Spend a Billion Each on Their Campaigns" says the current presidential election is to be the most costly in the history of the U.S.A.; p 5 (423 words).

7. Konstantin Volkov article headlined "Whole Afghanistan Feeds Taliban" reviews the financial dealings of the Taliban in Afghanistan; p 5 (491 words).

8. Anna Akhmadiyeva article headlined "Moskovskiye Novosti Becomes Free" says that liberal Moscow daily Moskovskiye Novosti has been relaunched with major changes in its format and design. It will be distributed free of charge in public places in Moscow; p 9 (400 words).

Rossiiskaya Gazeta

1. Viktor Feshchenko article headlined "Millions Against America" reports on anti-American protests held in 20 countries. The author says that Muslim protesters are growing more and more weary of Americans; pp 1, 6 (900 words).

2. Marina Gritsyuk article headlined "Like Relatives" interviews a senior official from the Regional Development Ministry, Alexander Zhuravsky, about the government program to help the repatriation of Russian nationals; pp 1, 8 (1200 words).

3. Kira Latukhina article headlined "Saturday Cleanup in Sochi" says that Vladimir Putin and his Belarussian counterpart Alexander Lukashenko met in Sochi to discuss bilateral issues on Sep. 15; p 2 (700 words).

4. Tamara Shkel article headlined "Walk to Power" looks at the State Duma vote on the expulsion of A Just Russia Deputy Gennady Gudkov; p 2 (700 words).

5. Sergei Toporkov article headlined "Opposition Turns Left" says the opposition rally held on Sep. 15 revealed many problems of the Russian protest movement; p 7 (400 words).

6. Leonid Radzikhovsky article headlined "End of March" says the protest movement in Russia will soon become completely extinguished as it has already lost the majority of its supporters; p 7 (600 words).

7. Lyubov Protsenko article headlined "One Talk for Road" says that the authorities estimated the number of participants in the opposition rally on Sep. 15 at 14,000 people; p 7 (300 words).

Moskovsky Komsomolets

1. Melor Sturua article headlined "Flame-2 Flares Up From Spark" says that those who created the trailer to a controversial film on Islam had a criminal record; pp 1-2 (1,120 words).

2.Marita Gudak and Anastasia Rodionova article headlined "Marching Left?" says the Sep. 15 opposition rally has shown that the opposition movement urgently needs reforms; pp 1, 3 (701 words).

3. Tatyana Zamakhina article headlined "Rise With Decline" comments on the government's plans to reduce the number of officials and to raise wages by 2.6 times; pp 1, 4 (682 words).

4. Marina Perevozkina article headlined "Will There Be New War Over Karabakh?" analyzes possible risks for Moscow amid speculations that Azerbaijan may pursue military action in the disputed region of Nagorno-Karabakh if the U.S.A. attacks Iran; p 2 (400 words).

5. Article by political scientist Stanislav Belkovsky headlined "To Masha and Our Freedom" reviews financial and personality problems of the Russian opposition; p 3 (1,182 words).

6. Alina Fadeyeva and Alexander Minkin interview with acting Mayor of Khimki Oleg Shakhov speaking on the election campaign in the town and his plans for the future; p 5 (1,949 words).

Novaya Gazeta

1. Alexei Polikovsky article titled "He Who Walks Will Conquer the Path" contemplates the current state of the Russian protest movement; pp 2-3 (1,800 words).

2. Maria Yepifanova et al. article headlined "Posters Were Rustling" reports on the opposition rally held in Moscow on Sep. 15; pp 4-5 (1,170 words).

3. Yulia Latynina article headlined "Jihad-Jitsu" says recent developments in Arab countries show that proponents of a leftist ideology and even democratic leaders have to capitulate before Islamists; p 7 (729 words).

4. Alexander Panov article headlined "'Arab Autumn' Comes to America" reviews the U.S. reaction to anti-American protests in Arab countries and notes that Republican presidential candidate Mitt Romney is likely to make use of the situation; p 8 (1,136 words).

5. Kirill Rogov article headlined "Education of Oprichnina" says the State Duma vote to expel opposition Duma Deputy Gennady Gudkov shows the degradation of the Russian political system; p 9 (742 words).

6. Diana Khachatryan article titled "Expulsion" recaps the Duma vote to strip Gennady Gudkov of his deputy status; pp 10-11 (900 words).

7. Commentary by economist Oleg Buklemishev titled "Gazprompt" mulls the problems that the Russian gas giant is facing in the EU and analyzes the ways in which the Russian authorities are dealing with it; p 11 (500 words).

8. Semen Novoprudsky article headlined "Personnel Do Not Decide Anything" comments on media speculation about possible reshuffles within the government and notes that this would not change much as long as Vladimir Putin remains in power; p 13 (581 words).

Komsomolskaya Pravda

1. Front-page photo captioned "Marches of Millions in Russian Cities Bring in Lowest Number of Protesters" segues to a large article by Alexei Ovchinnikov titled "Opposition Leaders: 'Give Us Money and We'll Do Even Better,'" which says the Sep. 15 pan-Russian protests were by and large a failure; pp 1, 4-5 (1,000 words).

2. Andrei Yegorov article titled "Putin and Lukashenko 'Came for a Saturday Cleanup'" reviews a Sep. 15 meeting between the Russian and Belarussian presidents in Sochi; p 2 (350 words).

3. Israel Shamir article titled "Payback in Benghazi" comments on the fatal attack against U.S. diplomats in Libya, criticizing Russian observers who blamed radical Islamists; p 3 ( 350 words).

4. Nikolai Semichev opinion piece titled "Demarche of the Creative Class" rounds up pundits' comments on the Sep. 15 protest in Moscow; p 5 (500 words).

5. Commentary by Dmitry Voskoboinikov titled "Does the Fate of the U.S.S.R. Await Europe?" contemplates perceived similarities between the European Union and the U.S.S.R.; p 8 (900 words).

RBK Daily

1. Ivan Petrov article titled "Police Gets a 'Krysha'" says that Russian police trade unions are consolidating in order to provide better legal protection for officers; p 2 (450 words).

2. Alexander Litoi and Valeria Khamrayeva article titled "Bronzing Protest" looks back at the agenda of the Sep. 15 March of Millions in Moscow; p 2 (500 words).

3. Tatyana Kosobokova article titled "Government to Put Questions to Development Institutes" says Russian authorities are planning to obtain an independent evaluation of the work of development institutes and assess the return on their innovations investments; p 3 (350 words).

Noviye Izvestia

1. Arfi Gevorkyan article titled "Everyone Is Protesting" says experts are warning that strike action at Russian companies will be on the rise in the coming months; pp 1, 3 (650 words).

2. Vyacheslav Ryabykh and Nadezhda Bulanova article titled "Peaceful March of Millions" says the Sep. 15 protest in Moscow was incident-free; p 2 (350 words).

Sep. 17, 2012/BBC Monitoring/©BBC

Related articles:

• What the Papers Say, Sept. 14, 2012
• What the Papers Say, Sept. 13, 2012
• What the Papers Say, Sept. 12, 2012