What the Papers Say, Jan. 18, 2013

Kommersant

1. Mikhail Serov and Oleg Gavrish article headlined "Gazprom pumps losses" says that using the Nord Stream gas pipeline for gas export instead of the Ukrainian pipeline may result in significant losses for Gazprom as its gas transit agreements with European countries envisage a ship or pay condition; pp 1, 9 (672 words).

2. Kirill Belyaninov and Olga Allenova article headlined "Adoption concerns" speculates whether the measures that the government is planning to take to encourage adoption of disabled orphans by Russian citizens will work; pp 1, 4 (2,2340 words).

3. Sergi Mashkin article headlined "Anatoliy Serdyukov being involved in planting" says that following a probe into former Defense Minister Anatoly Serdyukov's performance as a minister, criminal proceedings have been instituted and he will be involved in them. The criminal case was launched over abuse of office as servicemen were transported by helicopter to an elite recreation facility owned by Serdyukov's relative in order to plant trees and grass; pp 1, 3 (873 words).

4. Aleksandra Bayazitova article headlined "Writing-off operation" says that a rise in bank crediting has slowed down as the Central Bank toughened rules for evaluation of banks' credit risks; pp 1, 8 (953 words).

5. Darya Nikolayeva article headlined "Medical insurance policy issued for migrants" says that the government has toughened rules for migrants' concluding labour agreements; p 2 (422 words).

6. Viktor Khamrayev article headlined "A Just Russia split over place in Moscow Region" says that leaders of the Moscow Region branches of the A Just Russia party have nominated State Duma deputy Aleksandr Romanovich to run for the region's governor in September. The opposition wing of the party wanted to nominate former State Duma deputy Gennadiy Gudkov; p 2 (669 words).

7. Irina Nagornykh and Natalya Bashlykova article headlined "One Russia to be checked with Yaroslavl election" says that the ruling party has started an election campaign in Yaroslavl Region considered to be the hardest for the party; p 2 (621 words).

8. Natalya Korchenkova article headlined "Public initiatives being framed" says that the Open Government has begun to accept applications from those willing to become members of a working group to be engaged in consideration of the public initiatives that have collected over 100,000 signatures. The working group is to decide whether the initiative will become a bill; p 2 (465 words).

9. Grigory Tumanov et al. report headlined "Person involved in Bolotnaya [riot] case dies in prison" says that the Other Russia party activist, Alexander Dolmatov, has committed suicide in a deportation center in the Netherlands after the authorities refused to grant political asylum to him; p 3 (594 words).

10. Alexei Tkachenko article headlined "Defendant denies Vladimir Putin's attempted assassination" says that Adam Osmayev, charged with plotting an assassination of Russian President Vladimir Putin and head of Chechnya Ramzan Kadyrov, has stated that he was forced to plead guilty because of torture; p 3 (1,001 words).

11. Maksim Ivanov and Natalya Bashlykova article headlined "Russians leave orphans in motherland" says that the poll conducted by the Russian Public Opinion Research Center (VTsIOM) has shown that some 76 percent of Russians back the ban on adoption of Russian children by U.S. citizens; p 3 (403 words).

12. Olga Allenova interview with children's ombudsman Pavel Astakhov headlined "'No reasons to oppose'" where he speaks about consequences of the anti-U.S. adoption ban in relation to the orphans whose U.S. parents have court rulings permitting the adoption; p 4 (606 words).

13. Galina Dudina brief interview with the European Parliament's Security and Defence Subcommittee head, Arnaud Danjean, headlined "EU not ready to give military support", in which he says that the EU has refrained from military assistance to France in its Mali operation so far; p 5 (174 words).

14. Pavel Tarasenko article headlined "Ukraine to deal with conclusion of truce" says that Ukrainian Foreign Minister Leonid Kozhara has outlined his country's priorities for the 2013 OSCE presidency; p 5 (460 words).

15. Galina Dudina article headlined "Europe evades service in Mali" says that Paris can hardly count on real assistance from other European countries in the Mali operation; p 5 (366 words).

16. Maria Yefimova article headlined "Operation in Mali echoes in Algeria" says that the military conflict in Mali has echoed in Algeria where terrorists have seized several industrial facilities owned by European companies and took foreigners hostage; p 5 (298 words).

17. Maksim Yusin article headlined "Paris lives to see African help" says that the military operation in Mali has turned into an international one as peacekeepers from Nigeria joined the French troops; p 5 (455 words).

18. Maria Semedyayeva et al. report headlined "Russia ends up indebted to hasids" says that a Washington court has imposed a fine of 50,000 dollars a day on Russia until it returns the so-called Schneerson's collection to the Hasidic movement Chabad-Lubavitch; p 5 (1,017 words).

19. Yelena Chernenko article headlined "Tajikistan links base to migrants" says that Dushanbe is not going to ratify the agreement on the Russian military base on its territory until Moscow grants privileges to Tajik labor migrants and cancels duties for supplies of Tajik hydrocarbons; p 5 (596 words).

Nezavisimaya Gazeta

1. Andrei Serenko article headlined "One-day Stalingrad" says that Volgograd experts have suggested that the city be renamed Stalingrad for one day, 2 February, when the 70th anniversary of the Russian troops' victory over fascists near Stalingrad will be marked; pp 1-2 (510 words).

2. Yury Paniyev article headlined "Schneerson library issues bill to Moscow" says that the Russian Foreign Ministry has threatened retaliation for a court ruling obliging Russia to pay a fine of 50,000 dollars a day until it returns the Schneerson Collection of old Jewish books and documents to the US-based Chabad-Lubavitch Hasidic movement; pp 1, 8 (781 words).

3. Vladimir Mukhin article headlined "Russia strengthens base in Armenia" says that Moscow plans to increase the number of its servicemen in Armenia in order to be ready for a possible aggravation of the Nagornyy Karabakh conflict; pp 1-2 (683 words).

4. Nikolai Surkov article headlined "Bickford fuse of African war" says that the crisis in Mali and the French intervention in the country may result in an outburst of terrorism in the entire region and looks at the special operation to release hostages held by Islamists at a gas deposit in Algeria; pp 1, 8 (704 words).

5. Igor Naumov article headlined "Ministers exposed as being ignorant" says that Russia has already found itself in the center of conflicts that may be settled only through using the WTO rules, which Russian officials are not familiar with; pp 1, 4 (828 words).

6. Alexandra Samarina article headlined "Justice Ministry's sacrificial offering" says that the Justice Ministry has drafted a bill defining a public religious event and stipulating punishment for those violating order under the new bill on rallies; pp 1, 3 (1,000 words).

7. Editorial headlined "Friendship together and apart" looks at the results of the meeting of the Russia-NATO Council held at the level of chiefs of General Staff in Brussels on 16 January and at differences hampering cooperation between Russia and the alliance; p 2 (513 words).

8. Ivan Rodin article headlined "Investigations Committee remains strong" says that the Investigations Committee keeps strengthening its positions and lobbying the bills worth billions of roubles for its needs; p 3 (696 words).

9. Sergei Kulikov article headlined "Rapid economic growth by 2050" looks at the report published by PricewaterhouseCoopers titled "World in 2050", which states that Russia's economy will outpace Germany, France and Great Britain and will almost approach Japan; p 4 (669 words).

10. Anastasia Bashkatova article headlined "New stain on Defense Ministry's reputation" says that a probe into the Oboronservis case has exposed new instances of violation of the law, this time illegal schemes of cash out business, linked to the Defense Ministry; p 4 (804 words). exposed as being

11. Article by Vladislav Inozemtsev headlined "On goals and methods of constructive opposition" looks at the situation in Russia and prospects for the opposition; p 5 (2,748 words).

12. Maria Bondarenko article headlined "Chieftains write letter to president" says that Cossacks have collected some 3,000 signatures under a petition to President Vladimir Putin asking him to recognize Cossacks as a people; p 6 (436 words).

13. Anton Khodasevich article headlined "Lukashenka does not give up Western "front" says that the Belarusian authorities may free some political prisoners ahead of the informal meeting of foreign and transport ministers of the Eastern Partnership member states to be held in Tbilisi in February; p 7 (593 words).

14. Tatyana Ivzhenko article headlined "Yuliya Tymoshenko in spotlight again" says that former Ukrainian Prime Minister Yulia Tymoshenko has announced civil disobedience, which, according to some Ukrainian politicians, may result in mass civil disobedience; p 7 (857 words).

15. Yuriy Roks article headlined "Georgian top leaders exchange blows" says that the confrontation among the Georgian elite continues; p 7 (748 words).

16. Darya Tsiryulik article headlined "British to pass verdict on European Union in five years" says that today British Prime Minister David Cameron is to make a speech about Great Britain's place in the EU; p 8 (598 words).

Vedomosti

1. Yevgenia Pismennaya article headlined "Glazyev to set course for country" says that following the president's instruction, researchers from the Russian Academy of Sciences have drafted proposals aiming to ensure Russia's sustainable development; pp 1, 4 (760 words).

2. Anna Shcherbakova and Alexandra Terentyeva article headlined "Dream landing" says that a series of failures has made the world suspend the flights of Boeing 787 Dreamliner aircraft; pp 1, 12 (390 words).

3. Editorial headlined "Russian state orphanhood" criticizes the idea to set up a federal agency to deal with orphans; pp 1, 6 (438 words).

4. Sergey Smirnov and Timofey Dzyadko article headlined "Slate oil to bring down prices" looks at BP's report that forecasts that a rise in slate oil production in the USA will make the country the world's biggest oil producer and OPEC countries will have to reduce production; p 13 (550 words).

5. Anastasiya Kornya and Irina Novikova article headlined "Court stands up for drivers" says that the Supreme Court has opposed toughening punishment for drunk drivers; p 2 (467 words).

6. Polina Khimshiashvili article headlined "Obama against Kalashnikov" looks at U.S. President Barack Obama's plan to toughen control over arms circulation in the country aiming to protect children and reduce violence involving weapons; p 3 (336 words).

7. Editorial headlined "Hasids put pressure on Russia" says that Russia has threatened tough countermeasures if the Russian state property in the USA is seized, which is possible after a Washington court ruled that Russia should pay a fine of 50,000 dollars a day until it returns the Schneerson's Collection to the Hasidic movement Chabad-Lubavitch in the USA; p 6 (285 words).

8. Dmitriy Kazmin et al. report headlined "Kremlin's four fronts" looks at proposals aiming to put an end to the outflow of capital and businesses from Russia drafted by a working group headed by presidential aide Elvira Nabiullina; p 5 (632 words).

9. Mariya Zheleznova et al. report headlined "Equal before Kremlin" says that the office and the flat of nationalist and opposition Coordination Council's member Vladimir Tor have been searched; p 2 (539 words).

Rossiyskaya Gazeta

1. Yury Gavrilov article headlined "Talk on frequency" looks at the results of the meeting of First Deputy Defense Minister and head of the General Staff Valeriy Gerasimov with NATO's top military officials; p 2 (800 words).

2. Yevgeny Shestakov article headlined "Lavrov returns to 14th century" looks at the visit of Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov to Burma; p 2 (700 words).

3. Natalya Kozlova report "Zvezda searched" says that the offices of the publishing house Krasnaya Zvezda, which is part of the Defence Ministry's holding company Oboronservis, have been searched; p 6 (550 words).

4. Natalya Kozlova report "Razvozzhayev keeps silence" says that investigative actions in the case of opposition activist Leonid Razvozzhayev have begun in a remand centre in Irkutsk; p 7 (300 words).

5. Vladislav Vorobyev article headlined "Arm and rule" says that the situation in the north of Africa shows that the USA and the EU have not learned from their own mistakes and consequently, will have to fight against terrorists they used to call revolutionaries and used to arm; p 8 (650 words)

6. Maksim Makarychev article headlined "Asked to leave" says that over one million signatures have been collected under a demand for Georgian President Mikheil Saakashvili to step down; p 8 (750 words).

Izvestia

1. Alexander Yunashev article headlined "Americans fear that Putin may harm Obama" comments on the article entitled "Sour US-Russia relations threaten Obama's foreign policy agenda" published by the Washington Post; pp 1, 7 (892 words).

2. Nadezhda Gladchenko and Vladimir Barinov headlined "Usoyan's murderers looked for in 'Stream'" says that law enforcers are looking for the murderers of the criminal boss Aslan Usoyan aka Ded Khasan, using the information system Stream capable of tracing cars in Moscow; pp 1, 5 (1,041 words).

3. Yelizaveta Mayetnaya article headlined "Oldest NGOs shutting down" says that several oldest NGOs in Russia may shut down in February over problems with financing; p 2 (739 words).

4. Vladimir Barinov report "Security agencies suspected of abetting murderers of crime boss" says that employees of the Federal Migration Service, traffic police and the Interior Ministry's other departments may be involved in the murder of crime kingpin Aslan Usoyan; p 5 (800 words)

5. Igor Yavlyanskiy article headlined "France opens African front on its own" says that the French troops have started a ground operation in Mali; p 7 (556 words).

6. Boris Mezhuyev article headlined "Obama as American Gorchakov" says that judging by the Washington Post's article "Sour US-Russia relations threaten Obama's foreign policy agenda", it is once again fashionable in the USA to be scared of Russia; p 9 (830 words).

7. Alexandra Sopova and Yaroslav Timofeyev article headlined "Schneerson's library to remain in Russia" says that the head of the Russian State Library, Alexander Vislyy, has stated that the Russian Hasidic community has more rights to Schneerson's collection of books than the US one; p 10 (589 words).

Moskovsky Komsomolets

1. Mikhail Zubov report "Shall we expect Medvedev's resignation?" publishes political analysts' comments on the position of Prime Minister Dmitriy Medvedev; pp 1, 4 (1,400 words).

2. Unattributed article "How will Khasan's legacy be shared" tries to forecast how events will unfold after the murder of crime boss Aslan Usoyan; pp 1, 6 (2,200 words)

3. Alexander Melman report "I want you to live on salary alone" looks at prominent TV presenter Vladimir Pozner; pp 1, 7 (500 words).

4. Ilya Baranikas report "Waiting for 'Obama 2.0'" looks at appointments in the Obama administration and at his policy; p 4 (1,400 words).

RBK

1. Anna Reznikova and Asya Panoyan article headlined "Industry smells of crisis" says there is a huge gap between production and the demand in Russia. In 2012 most Russian-made products remained at storage facilities; p 3 (500 words).

2. Yulia Sinyayeva article headlined "They did not learn how to trade" says that six months after joining the WTO Russia still has not adjusted its legislation in compliance with the organization's standards; p 3 (400 words).

Tvoy Den

1. Viktoriya Minina and Yekaterina Kvon article headlined "Killer's track" provides exclusive details in the murder case of Russia's top mafia boss Aslan Usoyan; pp 1, 4-5 (400 words).

Krasnaya Zvezda

1. Konstantin Lobkov interview with deputy director general at the Far Eastern center of naval industry Yury Filchenok headlined "Shipbuilders have plenty of plans" looks at the future of naval industry; p 10 (1, 300 words).

Jan. 18, 2013/BBC Monitoring/©BBC