What the Papers Say, Aug. 26, 2013

Kommersant

1. Yury Senatorov article headlined "They forgive Anatoly Serdyukov for lake" says that having exposed the illegal sale of forests in the Moscow region by the Defense Ministry's property relations department, the Main Military Prosecutor's Office has refused to submit its materials to the Investigative Committee for a criminal case to be opened. It is becoming obvious that the high-profile probes into frauds and power abuse in the Defense Ministry will be limited to minor figures; pp 1, 3 (652 words).

2. Yelena Chernenko et al. report headlined "Non-take-off strip" says that fugitive CIA and NSA contractor Edward Snowden got stuck in Moscow's airport because, under the United State's pressure, Cuba had threatened to deny landing to Moscow-Havana flight if Snowden had been on board; pp 1, 6 (914 words).

3. Olga Shestopal and Ksenia Dementyeva article headlined "Payment obligation" says that only 20 percent of banks have managed to join the state information system on state and municipal payments, although Prime Minister Dmitry Medvedev instructed the relevant bodies to ensure that all banks join the system by Nov. 6; pp 1, 8 (664 words).

4. Anatoly Dzhumaylo and Yegor Popov article headlined "Uralvagon mining" says that the state-run Uralvagonzavod (UVZ) armor maker is buying the Zarechnaya coal company with machine-building plants in Russia and Germany; pp 1, 9 (788 words).

5. Natalya Gorodetskaya article headlined "People of Russian nationality" says that Prime Minister Dmitry Medvedev has approved the federal targeted-development programme aimed at strengthening the unity of nation worth almost 6.8 billion rubles ($206 million). Experts say that interethnic problems cannot be solved this simple; p 2 (583 words).

6. Kirill Antonov article headlined "Long view reshuffle " looks at the reshuffle in Tatarstan's government and its consequences; p 2 (374 words).

7. Sofya Samokhina et al. report headlined "Everyone has meetings, Alexei Navalny detained a bit" says that yesterday Moscow mayoral hopeful Alexei Navalny was detained after a meeting with voters in Sokolniki and soon released; p 3 (712 words).

8. Yury Barsukov article headlined "Regional budgets cannot stand decrees" says that the fulfilment of the president's May decrees along with the economic slowdown has affected regional budgets badly; now the federal authorities are to decide whether to provide additional financing of 2,000 billion rubles from the federal budget or postpone deadlines for the fulfilment of some of the president's social initiatives; p 3 (435 words).

9. Alexei Shapovalov article headlined "Stability with naphthalene off-flavor" says that despite growing demand and sales in August, experts are not optimistic about the prospects of the Russian economy; p 3 (544 words).

10. Alexander Chernykh article headlined "Concilium of protest" says that a rally of young scientists against the reform of the Russian Academy of Sciences was staged in Moscow on Aug. 24. The participants severely criticized the reform and the government's stance in general; p 5 (549 words).

11. Sergei Strokan article headlined "Chemical reaction awaits Syria" says that the Pentagon is getting ready to use force against Damascus using the recent chemical attack as a pretext. The intervention may be prevented if the UN commission proves that Damascus had nothing to do with the incident; p 6 (602 words).

12. Olga Kuznetsova article headlined "Lebanon finds pretext for new war" says that Lebanon is on the verge of a civil war as the confrontation between Sunnis and Shi'is is aggravating; p 6 (405 words).

13. Sergei Goryashko article headlined "Russia perceives Edward Snowden perceived in neutral way" says that the polls conducted by the Public Opinion Foundation show that some 48 percent of Russians approve of Edward Snowden's leaking classified information about U.S. special services' surveillance in the internet; p 6 (373 words).

Nezavisimaya Gazeta

1. Mikhail Sergeyev article headlined "Officials' salaries set new record" says that amid aggravating economic situation officials' salaries keep growing; p 1.

2. Igor Naumov article headlined "Finance Ministry ready to subordinate regions" says that the Finance Ministry has drafted a bill to deprive regions receiving financing from the federal budget of financial independence; pp 1-2 (800 words).

3. Alexandra Samarina article headlined "Unity of nation for small money" says that Prime Minister Medvedev has approved a programme aimed at enhancing the unity of the Russian people and features experts' comments on the matter; pp 1, 3 (1,200 words).

4. Anton Khodasevich article headlined "Customs Union finishes off Belarussian economy" says that a new wave of rise in prices in Belarus will begin in September with a significant increase in petrol prices; pp 1, 6 (700 words).

5. Alexei Gorbachev article headlined "Parties fight for Urlashov's electorate" says that the fight for the votes of those who wanted to support Yaroslavl Mayor Yevgeny Urlashov, currently held in custody on bribery charges, in the local elections is in full swing in Yaroslavl; pp 1, 3 (900 words).

6. Darya Tsiryulik article headlined "U.S. preparing Yugoslavian scenario for Syria" says that although the U.S. administration has not made a decision on using force against Damascus yet it is demonstrating preparations for a military move, the bombing of Yugoslavia in 1999 being the most probable scenario; pp 1, 6 (500 words).

7. Editorial headlined "Counterterrorism and press" says that The Guardian newspaper has severely criticized the British government for using the Terrorism Act 2000 to infringe on the freedom of the press. The policy of double standards London sticks to should be condemned and counter-terrorism legislature should be revised in order to eliminate loopholes allowing to abuse civil rights, editorial says; p 2 (500 words).

8. Viktor Myasnikov article headlined "Clouds over MAKS-2013 to be dispelled" says that the International Aviation and Space Salon is to open on Aug. 27 in Moscow Region; p 3 (600 words).

9. Maxim Shepovalenko article headlined "From survival to conscious development" says that top officials' severe criticism of the Russian Space Agency's top managers shows that the government is concerned about the problems in the industry and looks at what might help it overcome the crisis; p 4 (800 words).

10. Yevgeny Grigoryev article headlined "Americans spy in UN headquarters" says that Germany's Der Spiegel weekly has published a new set of Edward Snowden's revelations, saying that the U.S. National Security Agency has bugged the United Nations' New York headquarters; p 6 (300 words).

11. Vladimir Skosyrev article headlined "Trial over Communist party official turns out to be competitive" looks at the latest developments in the trial over Chinese high-ranking official Bo Xilai; p 6 (400 words).

12. Tatyana Ivzhenko article headlined "Ukrainians ready to defend independence with arms" says that polls timed to the anniversary of Ukraine's independence show that the number of those who are ready to defend the country's independence with arms has reached its peak, 46 percent, and says that the Russian-Ukrainian trade war has played against Russia; p 6 (450 words).

13. Alexandra Samarina article headlined "Week in politics. Traditional atmosphere of elections: intrigues, accusations, exposures" says that despite a powerful discrediting campaign, Moscow mayoral hopeful Alexei Navalny has remained in the race; p 7 (500 words).

14. Yury Simonyan article headlined "In CIS countries: two heads of one power" comments on Georgian Prime Minister Bidzina Ivanishvili's promise to resign before the year end; p 7 (600 words).

15. Anastasia Bashkatova article headlined "In economy: Far East and North Caucasus strain Russia" looks at the losses resulting from the flooding in the Far East and officials' criticism of inefficiency of local officials in the North Caucasus; p 7 (500 words).

Vedomosti

1. Anastasia Fomicheva article headlined "Uralkali to come to every farmer" says that Uralkali is negotiating the purchase of fertilizer distributors in an attempt to make sure it will have enough customers when increasing potassium production; pp 1, 12 (493 words).

2. Editorial headlined "Anti-crisis subvention" comments on Prime Minister Dmitry Medvedev's idea about the de-centralization of administration by creating a single subvention for regions to realize all the powers they are entrusted with; pp 1, 6 (365 words).

3. Maria Dranishnikova and Margarita Lyutova article headlined "Remedy for budget" says that the government is discussing proposals on how to make state expenses on medicines efficient; pp 1, 18 (482 words).

4. Lilia Biryukova article headlined "Removal banned" says that at a meeting with political analysts, first deputy head of the presidential administration Vyacheslav Volodin stated that allowing strong opposition candidates to take part in the elections is not a one-time move but a long-time strategy; p 2 (430 words).

5. Polina Khimshiashvili article headlined "Reaction to chemicals" says that the West and the U.S. are discussing their options in the light of the allegations that it was Damascus that is to blame for the recent chemical attack in Syria; p 2 (315 words).

6. Editorial headlined "Unachievable harmony" says that the authorities prefer to imitate teeming activity aimed at mending interethnic relations rather than to deal with the main causes behind interethnic conflicts: inefficient state institutes, corruption and low living standards; p 6 (314 words).

7. Margarita Lyutova and Maxim Tovkaylo article headlined "Warning for Kiev" say that Moscow may warn Ukraine about negative consequences of its integration with the EU today at Russia-Ukraine intergovernmental talks to take place in Moscow today; p 4 (654 words).

8. Nikolai Rozov article headlined "Elections: 2nd round out" says that deputies of the Novosibirsk town council have suggested that the very possibility of a second round of elections be banned. Experts refer to the initiative as a toe in the water and warn that if the attempt is successful the trend may spread to other regions; p 6 (380 words).

9. Alexei Nikolsky article headlined "Man of week: Bradley Chelsea Manning" says that if the U.S. does not change its approach to secrecy, new whistle-blowers like Bradley Manning are bound to emerge; p 7 (339 words).

10. Filipp Sterkin article headlined "Putin throws government into dilemma" says that the government is to face a choice on whether to lend financial support for the regions from the federal budget or to free them from the implementation of some of Vladimir Putin's pre-election promises; p 5 (300 words).

Rossiiskaya Gazeta

1. Vladislav Vorobyev article headlined "Is he ready to overthrow?" says that although Washington is getting ready to use force against the official regime in Damascus, U.S. President Barack Obama is unlikely to give a go-ahead until another round of talks between Moscow and Washington at the Geneva-2 conference on the Syrian settlement takes place; pp 1, 5 (800 words).

2. Sergei Ptichkin article headlined "They to buy it after all" says that Industry and Trade Minister Denis Manturov has denied reports that the Defense Ministry postponed the signing of contracts for the purchase of MiG-35 for several years; p 7 (200 words).

Izvestia

1. Alexander Potapov and Yury Matsarsky exclusive interview with Syrian president Bashar Assad speaking on the threat of intervention and Syria's current relations with Russia; pp 1-2 (3,000 words).

2. Anna Pulyukhovich article headlined "Legal maximum" says that Sergei Pomazun, also known as "Belgorod shooter", has been given a life sentence in a high-security prison; p 2 (200 words).

3. Anastasia Petrova and Gaydar Batyrkhanov article headlined "Arrested former head of Rosbank demands 'golden parachute' at court" says that the former head of Rosbank, Vladimir Golubkov, who is charged with extorting $1.5 million from a Moscow businessman, demands a compensation for being sacked from his post; p 1 (600 words).

4. German Petelin article headlined "Shoigu pays off Serdyukov's debts" says that the Defense Ministry is still paying off debts to the companies that have been dragged into the criminal investigation of the large-scale fraud at the Oboronservis company at the time when Anatoly Serdyukov was holding the post of the Defense Minister; p 3 (600 words).

5. Mikhail Rubin et al. article headlined "Prokhorov looking for new 'face' of his party" says that Russian tycoon Mikhail Prokhorov has decided to end his active political career and is currently looking for a person who could lead the Civil Platform party; p 4 (1,000 words).

Moskovsky Komsomolets

1. Andrei Yashlavsky article headlined " Intervention being contrived for Syria" speculates on who could benefit from the use of chemical weapons in Syria; pp 1, 3 (300 words).

2. Mikhail Zubov article headlined "How we will doctor elections" describes the ballot fraud schemes that are likely to be used during the elections on Sept. 8; pp 1-2 (400 words).

RBC Daily

1. Ivan Petrov and Yulia Sinyaeva article headlined "Deportation and punishment" says that the Moscow police is to launch criminal proceedings against employers who hire illegal migrants for work; pp 1-2 (650 words).

2. Yulia Yakovleva article headlined "Non-competitive Seliger" says that all the opposition candidates have been eliminated from the election race in the Ostashkovsky District of the Tver region, where annual pro-Kremlin youth camp Seliger takes place; p 2 (500 words).

Novaya Gazeta

1. Andrei Kolesnikov, Alexei Polukhin, Ruslan Dubov and Yelena Racheva article headlined "Sovereignty trading" says the Russian authorities are providing various islands in the Pacific Ocean with financial aid in exchange for supporting Yekaterinburg's bid to host Expo-2020; p 2-3 (1,500 words).

2. Sergei Andreyev article headlined "Chinese heroes" says that President Vladimir Putin will not be attending the MAKS airshow, and suggests that this may be because there will be no new Russian aircraft on display there; p 4 (300 words)

3. Maxim Blant article headlined "Do not go that way, go this way" says that Russia runs the risk of destroying its own economy if it decides to punish Ukraine for integrating more closely with the EU; p 5 (700 words).

4. Dmitry Oreshkin article headlined "Observers needed for any election scenario" says the authorities' response Moscow mayoral candidate Alexei Navalny's election campaign is inconsistent, indicating that the Kremlin does not have a common strategy, and adds that observers will play a crucial role in the Moscow election; p 6 (1,295 words).

5. Yulia Polukhina article headlined "Victim suffering from phantom pains" reports on the ongoing "Bolotnaya trial", the prosecution of 12 people who attended a protest in Moscow's Bolotnaya Square in May 2012, and says that the main television channels are choosing not to report on the trial in detail because the defendants are protesting their innocence; p 7 (700 words)

6. Valery Dmitryev article headlined "Battle for the city" says anti-drugs campaigner Yevgeny Roizman has a chance of winning Yekaterinburg's mayoral election on Sept. 8, despite the efforts of Sverdlovsk Region Yevgeny Kuyvashev to ensure his deputy, Yakov Silin, is elected; p 22 (750 words)

Noviye Izvestia

1. Alexei Aronov article headlined "Autumn package" says that in the autumn the State Duma may pass a number of laws "that will damage the interests of various parts of the population", such as forcing Russians to work longer before they can claim their state pension; p 1, 3 (1,000 words)

2. Anna Alexeyeva interview with Yury Ryzhov, headlined "With these people in power the only forecasts are bad", in which Ryzhov, a member of the Russian Academy of Sciences, expresses his concern about the authorities' plans to reform the academy; p 1, 5 (300 words)

3. Dmitry Zavyalov article headlined "The price of forecasts", which says that since the start of the year inflation in Russia has been 15 times higher than in Europe; p 1, 3 (350 words)

4. Mikhail Nikiforenko article headlined "The consolidation of positive trends" says the Russian government is planning to send almost 7 billion rubles on a programme to "strengthen the unity of the Russian nation"; p 2 (450 words)

Moskovskiye Novosti

1. Alexandra Ilyina interview with Moscow district councillor Alexander Chuyev, headlined "Moscow atheists to be checked for extremism", in which Chuyev explains the reasoning behind a new centre that will "fight opponents of the construction of churches and mosques"; p 3 (300 words)

2. Alexandra Beluza interview with sociologist Mikhail Chernysh, headlined "The country is losing people who are one of a kind", in which Chernysh talks about those Russians who want to leave the country in search of a new life, and about those Russians who want to stay but are intent on changing how society works; pp 2-4 (1,200 words)

Komsomolskaya Pravda

1. Vladimir Demchenko article headlined "Unlike Russia, Belarus has virtually no guest workers. Why?", which says that, for example, in Minsk, unlike Moscow, most of the construction workers and street vendors are locals, rather than immigrants; p 1, 10 (1,600 words)

2. Nigina Beroyeva article headlined "UN experts finally discover evidence incriminating rebels", says "soldiers have found an opposition chemical weapons cache almost in the centre of Damascus"; p 5 (300 words)

Tvoy Den

1. Unattributed article headlined "Yevgeny Royzman suspected of stealing 50 icons" says that Yekaterinburg mayoral candidate and head of the City Without Drugs foundation Yevgeny Roizman is suspected of the involvement in the stealing of 50 icons from a church in Sverdlovsk Region; p 2 (150 words).

2. Alexei Titov article headlined "Killing evidence" says that special correspondents of the Izvestia newspaper have found Syrian rebels' chemical weapons in the suburbs of Damascus; p 2 (120 words).