What the Papers Say, Sept. 12, 2013

Kommersant

1. Yelena Chernenko article headlined "Nanna-Lugar program found for Syrian chemical weapons" details Russia's initiative to establish international control over chemical weapons in Syria; pp 1, 6 (359 words).

2. Petr Netreba article headlined "Regime of emergency reduction" looks at the Finance Ministry's proposals to significantly reduce budget spending within the next three years; pp 1-2 (1,010 words).

3. Kirill Melnikov et al. article headlined "Igor Sechin to return Russia to Belarus" says that Rosneft head Igor Sechin has undertaken to improve economic relations between Russia and Belarus, which have worsened over the Uralkali conflict. He wants his company to become the only oil supplier to Belarus and wants himself to be in charge of economic ties between the two countries; pp 1, 7 (739 words).

4. Yelena Kiseleva and Alexandra Bayazitova article headlined "VEB to spend money on export" says that the state-run bank Vneshekonombank (VEB) is planning to re-capitalize the Russian Export Insurance Agency and the bank's subsidiary, Roseksimbank, which will focus on support for small and medium-sized business specializing on exports; pp 1, 8 (636 words).

5. Ivan Safronov and Irina Nagornykh article headlined "Personnel discarded to civilian life" says that Anton Fedorov from the state nuclear power corporation Rosatom has become the head of the president's directorate for state service; p 2 (449 words).

6. Viktor Khamraev article headlined "United Russia changes electoral rules" says that the State Duma has approved in the first reading a bill changing the regional and municipal election procedure. Only the ruling United Russia party backed the bill, while other parliamentary parties voted against it; p 2 (447 words).

7. Yelena Kiseleva article headlined "Defense Ministry's state farm serves investigators" says that a new episode may appear in the Defense Ministry's large-scale fraud case; p 4 (629 words).

8. Kirill Belianinov article headlined "U.S. stalling for peace time" says that in his state-of-the-nation address, U.S. President Barack Obama has announced that he is ready to delay an attack on Syria so that Russia's initiative to place Syrian chemical weapons under international control is realized. The attack might be delayed for 45 days, the article says; p 6 (420 words).

9. Sergei Strokan article headlined "Atom of no confidence passed on Pakistan" says that a scandal has erupted between the U.S. and Pakistan over the disclosed information that the U.S. special services closely monitored the Pakistani arsenal. The article features a Russian expert's comment on the issue; p 6 (601 words).

Nezavisimaya Gazeta

1. Alexei Gorbachev article headlined "Part of opposition does not want to be in Navalny's shadow" says that opposition leader Alexei Navalny's headquarters has cancelled a rally on Moscow's Bolotnaya square on Sept. 14. However, opposition activists who accuse Navalny of assisting the ruling authorities will hold a rally in central Moscow on the same day; pp 1-2 (726 words).

2. Alexandra Samarina article headlined "Legislative deadlock" says that the Kremlin has been satisfied with the results of the Sept. 8 elections as they were more transparent than before. The so-called municipal filter will be preserved because, according to the authorities, it helps small parties enter big politics and ensures political competition, though experts have an opposite view; pp 1, 3 (829 words).

3. Mikhail Sergeyev article headlined "Defense industry does not keep up with government's plans" says that economists from the Gaidar Institute have concluded that the domestic defense industry is incapable of increasing military production output according to the authorities' plans, which makes increased financing of state defense orders pointless; pp 1, 4 (553 words).

4. Alexander Cherniavsky article headlined "Anatoly Bykov needs speaker" says that it will be difficult for political parties, elected to the Krasnoyarsk city council on Sept. 8, to find a compromise on the candidacy of the speaker of the municipal parliament because none of the parties has a deciding vote; pp 1, 5 (646 words).

5. Anton Khodasevich article headlined "Lukashenko offers Russia peace" says that Belarussian President Alexander Lukashenko expects the Russian authorities to help settle the Uralkali conflict; p 1, 6 (443 words).

6. Tatyana Ivzhenko article headlined "Brussels annoyed by Moscow's pressure on Kiev" says that the European Parliament will pass a resolution on Russian-Ukrainian relations today. European lawmakers agreed that Russia's economic measures were politically motivated and aimed against Ukraine's integration with the E.U. Some parliamentarians even suggested signing a free-trade agreement with Ukraine before the E.U. summit in Vilnius in November; p 1, 6 (883 words).

7. Editorial headlined "Candidates' minimum of faith" contemplates whether candidates for political posts should be asked about their religious convictions; p 2 (517 words).

8. Ivan Rodin article headlined "Special security tax" contemplates problems in keeping the law on counterterrorism security of facilities where over 50 people can gather at once, which will come into effect in late October. The Interior Ministry has drafted amendments toughening responsibility of owners of these facilities for not observing counterterrorism security measures; p 3 (665 words).

9. Marat Ilgamov article published in the Carte Blanche regular column headlined "Destruction of Russian Academy of Sciences is choice in favour of raw materials economy" comments on pending reforms in the Russian Academy of Sciences; p 3 (804 words).

10. Yevgenia Novikova article headlined "Russia enters new struggle for U.N. Security Council resolution" looks ahead at two-day talks between Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov and his U.S. counterpart John Kerry, which will focus on Russia's initiative to place Syrian chemical weapons under international control. The article also features a Russian expert's comment on the issue; p 2 (693 words).

11. Yury Panyev article headlined "Hassan Rouhani finds way out of nuclear deadlock" says that the Iranian president has announced that Tehran is ready for talks with the 5+1 group of international mediators on the Iranian nuclear program, but will not give up nuclear enrichment. The article features a Russian expert's comment on the issue; p 7 (729 words).

Vedomosti

1. Olga Kuvshinova article headlined "Pension not calculated" says that the Russian government has approved a formula to calculate retirement pensions; pp 1, 4 (722 words).

2. Milana Chelpanova article headlined "Russian Railways cannot do without indexation" says that the company Russian Railways has opposed the government's plans not to raise tariffs of natural monopolies in 2014 because the move threatens the company with heavy losses; pp 1, 13 (547 words).

3. Editorial headlined "Transparent darkness" says that the Moscow mayoral election results were summed up in an obscure and almost secret way and were announced hastily allegedly because of a lack of complaints. This was probably linked to the fact that President Putin found the elections legitimate and transparent, the article says; pp 1, 6 (402 words).

4. Anastasia Kornya and Maria Zheleznova article headlined "A good machine of lawsuits" says that opposition leader Alexei Navalny, who was second in the Moscow mayoral election, will file today a lawsuit seeking the cancellation of the election and 951 complaints challenging election results at certain polling stations; p 2 (386 words).

5. Another editorial headlined "Aggressive paralysis" says that a governmental working group has rejected opposition leader Alexei Navalny's initiative to limit the cost of cars bought by state officials to 1.5 million rubles ($45,500). The move was backed by 100,000 people on the government Russian Public Initiative website; p 6 (299 words).

6. Maxim Tovkaylo et al. article headlined "From Kremlin to Central Bank" says that the head of the presidential expert directorate, Ksenia Yudayeva, has become first deputy head of the Russian Central Bank for monetary-credit policy; p 5 (449 words).

7. Margarita Papchenkova article headlined "Billions from Arabs" says that the United Arab Emirates will invest $5 billion into Russia's infrastructure; p 5 (428 words).

8. Bela Lyauv and Alexei Nikolsky article headlined "Kapkov gets tired of culture" says that the most popular Moscow official Sergei Kapkov, heading the culture department, may leave his post; p 2 (350 words).

Izvestia

1. Yelena Malay and Yulia Tsoy article headlined "They want to forestall Women's Day by Day of restoration of Russian statehood" says that a new holiday may appear in Russia on Mar. 6 ; pp 1, 4 (550 words).

2. Alexandra Yermakova article headlined "State quits Oboronprom" says that the government will hand over to the Rostekhnologii state corporation its stake in the Oboronprom corporation, which unites such companies as the Helicopters of Russia and the United Engine-building Corporation; pp 1, 4 (346 words).

3. Mikhail Rubin article headlined "Elections and flooding place governors at their posts" zooms in at an influence rating of Russian regional heads compiled by the Agency for Political and Economic Communications; p 1 (637 words).

4. Anastasia Kashevarova and Yulia Tsoy article headlined "Kremlin pleased with results of transformation of non-systemic protest" says that Kremlin deputy chief of staff Vyacheslav Volodin has met political experts to discuss the results of the Sept. 8 elections. The Kremlin is pleased with the election results and considers the elections transparent and competitive, the article says; p 2 (451 words).

5. Olesya Yelkova article headlined "Interpol does not put Suleiman Kerimov on wanted list" says that Interpol has denied information that Russian businessman Suleiman Kerimov, who is the largest co-owner of the potash producer Uralkali, has been put on an international wanted list following a request from Belarus; p 2 (352 words).

6. Anna Akhmadyeva article headlined "State media prepare for budget cuts" says that the All-Russian State Television and Radio Broadcasting Company (VGTRK), the RIA Novosti media holding and the English-language TV channel Russia Today will have to cut down their expenses because the state will reduce their financing; p 2 (501 words).

7. Natalya Bashlykova article headlined "Election results push losers toward protests" says that the Communist Party of the Russian Federation, the Liberal Democratic Party of Russia and the A Just Russia party are planning to challenge the results of the Sept. 8 election to the city councils in Ryazan and Volgograd and to the regional parliaments in Rostov, Yaroslavl and Kemerovo regions and Republic of Bashkortostan; p 3 (923 words).

8. Petr Kozlov article headlined "Head of Opora Rossii to become ONF co-chairman" says that the president of the nationwide public organization of entrepreneurs Opora Rossii, Alexander Brechalov, will become co-chairman of the All-Russia People's Front (ONF); p 3 (355 words).

9. Dmitry Yevstifeyev article headlined "Main lawyer of Federal Penal Service gets under reform" looks at personnel reshuffles in the Investigative Committee, the Federal Penal Service and the Emergency Situations Ministry; p 5 (534 words).

10. Maria Gorkovskaya article headlined "Israel covers itself with Iron Dome" says that although an attack on Syria has been delayed, Israel has deployed Iron Dome missile defense systems near Jerusalem and Tel Aviv. The article features a Russian expert's comment on the issue; p 7 (522 words).

11. Oleg Shevtsov and Igor Yavlyansky article headlined "France continues exerting pressure on Syria" says that a UN Security Council resolution on Syrian chemical weapons, drafted by France and approved by the U.S. and the U.K., looks like an ultimatum. The article features a Russian expert's comment on the issue; p 7 (572 words).

12. Political analyst Boris Mezhuyev article headlined "Russia comes to rescue" says that Russia's initiative on Syrian chemical weapons is a "brilliant diplomatic step which solves a whole range of international collisions"; p 9 (922 words).

13. Sergei Roganov article headlined "Flooding of academicians" criticizes former Far East Development Minister and presidential envoy to the Far Eastern Federal District Viktor Ishayev as a member of the Russian Academy of Sciences; p 9 (609 words).

14. Vladislav Vdovin article headlined "Hopeful low voter turnout" contemplates the low voter turnout at the Moscow mayoral election on Sept. 8 and says that Russians consider non-participation in elections as a sign of freedom; p 9 (952 words).

Rossiiskaya Gazeta

1. Yevgeny Shestakov article headlined "S-time" says that the Russian and U.S. diplomatic heads will meet today in Geneva to discuss the chemical disarmament of Syria; pp 1, 8 (770 words).

2. Tamara Shkel article headlined "Art of possible" looks at a special declaration on Syria passed by the State Duma; p 3 (510 words).

3. Vasily Mironov article headlined "Risk-bearing seats" says that the Federal Treasury has drafted a set of anti-corruption measures to be taken against public-sector employees who hold corruption-prone posts; p 3 (606 words).

4. Yelena Novoselova interview headlined "Dependence square" with poet and publicist Yury Kublanovsky, speaking about the Sept. 8 elections, political competition and new players in the Russian political arena; p 6 (998 words).

Rossiiskaya Gazeta (weekly)

1. Leonid Radzikhovsky article headlined "Clear victory" focuses on the Moscow mayoral election results and looks at lessons that should be learnt from this campaign; p 4 (932 words).

2. Mikhail Barshchevsky interview headlined "Access to selected people" with Moscow city duma chairman Vladimir Platonov, speaking about the Moscow mayoral election campaign; p 8 (1,144 words).

Moskovsky Komsomolets

1. Marina Ozerova article headlined "Astrologers looking for bright politicians" says that the State Duma has approved in the first reading a bill, according to which the number of seats in regional parliaments distributed by party lists will halve to 25 percent; pp 1-2 (555 words).

2. Natalya Rozhkova article headlined "Systemic temptation" contemplates prospects for Alexei Navalny's career as a real politician; pp 1, 3 (459 words).

3. Yelena Yegorova article headlined "Mayor to come to Muscovites from Poklonnaya [Gora memorial complex]" describes the future inauguration of Sergei Sobyanin as Moscow mayor; pp 1-2 (560 words).

4. Roksana Rodionova and Elizabet Krets article headlined "They have to change symbol of authority of Moscow Region governor" describes the future inauguration of Andrei Vorobyev as Moscow Region governor on Sept. 14 ; p 2 (448 words).

5. Mikhail Zubov article headlined "Will Navalny help Prokhorov?" provides political experts' comments on the Sept. 8 election results and the future of opposition leader Alexei Navalny; p 2 (429 words).

6. Stanislav Belkovsky article headlined "Navalny's witnesses" depicts opposition leader Alexei Navalny's supporters; p 3 (1,259 words).

7. Ilya Baranikas article headlined "Syrian pinch of salt " says that Moscow's initiative on Syrian chemical weapons has changed the political situation in Washington and explains why the U.S. has backed the idea; p 3 (350 words).

8. Olga Grekova article headlined "City dwellers choose deeds, but not words" poses five questions about the Moscow mayoral election results to experts and features their answers to them; p 5 (600 words).

RBC Daily

1. Alexander Litoy report "Unconventional sport" says that according to LGBT activists, "gay Olympics" may be held in Moscow right after the Olympic Games in Sochi; pp 1-2 (550 words).

2. Ivan Petrov report "Naval battle in Mediterranean" says that more warships are joining the Russian naval force in the Mediterranean; Russia's naval group will consist of 11 vessels by mid-September; p 2 (950 words).

3. Yulia Yakovleva report "Election according to Chechen scenario" says that five opposition parties in Yaroslavl have joined forces to contest the results of the regional parliament election; p 2 (750 words).

Noviye Izvestia

1. Yulia Savina article headlined "From ONF to ministers" says that an activist from the All-Russia Public Movement People's Front for Russia (All-Russia People's Front), Alexander Galushka, has been appointed the Far East Development Minister; p 2 (588 words).

2. Vera Moslakova article headlined "To halve strong half" says that the State Duma has passed a bill, under which nominees from political parties can count on a mere 25 percent of seats in regional parliaments, while the share of candidates from single-seat constituencies will rise to 75 percent. Experts say that in this way, United Russia wants to strengthen its position; p 2 (571 words).

Krasnaya Zvezda

1. Viktor Ruchkin report "Strike postponed so far" says that Syria is ready to place its chemical weapons under international control: this is Damascus' reply to Russia's initiative. The U.S. is also ready to work on Moscow's proposal; pp 1, 3 (1,200 words).

Komsomolskaya Pravda

1. Dmitry Smirnov report "'Vladimir Putin: It is difficult to force any country to disarm if use of force is being planned against it'" features President Vladimir Putin's comment on the situation in Syria. He backed the idea to place Syria's chemical weapons under international control; p 2 (550 words).

2. Yelena Chinkova report "You too, Michelle!" says that U.S. President Barack Obama has asked Congress to postpone the voting on the use of force against Syria. The article features comments of Alexei Pushkov, chairman of the State Duma International Affairs Committee; p 3 (400 words).

3. Alexander Gamov interview headlined "'I am agent of Yaroslavl duma, not Department of State'" with Boris Nemtsov, co-chairman of the opposition RPR-Parnas party, who speaks about his plans to work as Yaroslavl duma deputy; p 4 (450 words).

4. Alexander Grishin report "'Voices' demand recount of votes" says that foreign supporters of protest leader Alexei Navalny, who has come in second in the Moscow mayor election, are displeased with acting mayor Sergei Sobyanin's victory; p 5 (600 words).

Komsomolskaya Pravda weekly

1. Nigina Beroyeva report "Five reasons for war in Syria: View from Damascus" looks at the current situation in Syria and features a brief comment of Vladimir Sotnikov from the Institute of Oriental Studies; pp 4-5 (2,100 words).

Zavtra

1. Newspaper features the transcript headlined "Battering-ram or soft cat" of Ekho Moskvy radio broadcast, in which Zavtra's editor in chief Alexander Prokhanov and protest leader Alexei Navalny have taken part; pp 1-2 (3,700 words).

2. Alexander Nagornyy report looks at the results of the G20 summit in St. Petersburg; p 3 (2,400 words).

Tvoy Den

1. Alexander Popov report "Opted for share" says that Russian businessman Suleiman Kerimov is negotiating the sale of his stake in Uralkali to settle a misunderstanding between the company and the Belarussian government; p 2 (200 words).