What the Papers Say, Feb. 27, 2014

Kommersant

1. Oleg Rubnikovich and Nikolai Sergeyev article headlined "Police arrested general" comments on the arrest of the deputy head of the main directorate of economic security and fight against corruption of the Interior Ministry, Boris Kolesnikov, and the head of the ministry's directorate B, Salavat Mullayarov. These police officers were in charge of the most high profile investigations of recent years. They are suspected of organizing a provocation against an FSB officer; pp 1, 5 (934 words).

2. Ilya Barabanov article headlined "Double-edged peninsula" says two rallies — of pro-Russian Ukrainians and Crimean Tatars supporting the recent political changes — have been held outside the Crimean parliament in Simferopol. Local residents are afraid of possible attacks by Ukrainian nationalists, the article says; pp 1, 6 (855 words).

3. Yelena Kiseleva et al. report headlined "Rostec to enter Angola via bank" says VTB and Rostec state corporation are buying a 20 percent stake in Blanco Privado Atlantico bank in Angola. Moscow pins hopes on Angola to help Russia to restore its positions in Western Africa; pp 1, 8 (698 words).

4. Sergei Sobolev article headlined "Budget placement" says last year's 10 percent growth in advertising spending was the smallest after 2009, the year of the financial crisis. The growth of dollar and euro exchange rates may aggravate the situation in advertising budgets in 2014; pp 1, 10 (709 words).

5. Vsevolod Inyutin et al. report headlined "Gennady Zyuganov's motherland given to Communists" says President Putin has appointed Communist lawmaker Vadim Potomsky acting governor of Oryol region. The previous governor, Alexander Kozlov, stepped down as his term in office expired; p 2 (764 words).

6. Vadim Visloguzov article headlined "Weakening ruble to support budget" says the Finance Ministry expects to earn additional 760 billion rubles (about $21.2 billion) on the weakening ruble and growing oil prices. The money is to be kept in the Reserve Fund; p 2 (511 words).

7. Ivan Safronov article headlined "Servicemen to train on border with Ukraine" says President Putin has announced a snap exercise in the Western Military District, where Russia borders on Ukraine. Moscow denies that the drill may be related to the situation in Ukraine; p 3 (466 words).

8. Maxim Ivanov et al. article "State Duma is issuing itself with Kiev summons" says the lower house of the Russian parliament is deciding whether to hold a special session devoted to developments in Ukraine and is planning to send to that country a delegation comprised of representatives of all the factions; p 3 (550 words).

9. Sergei Goryashko report headlined "Maidan left Russians with poor impression" sums up the results of a recent Levada Centre opinion poll on Russians' attitude to the recent developments in Ukraine; p 3 (400 words).

10. Sergei Mashkin article "Suspects in 'gambling case' are returning to active service" says the Investigative Committee has dropped charges against two police officers who were suspects in a high-profile investigation into alleged corruption at the Moscow region prosecutor's office; p 4 (450 words).

11. Vladimir Barinov article "45 million rubles from military warehouses go missing" gives details of the outcome of a trial of two senior managers of a state enterprise affiliated with the Defense Ministry accused of misappropriating the ministry's funds; p 4 (600 words).

12. Yelena Chernenko article headlined "To EU and NATO at third attempt" says the new Ukrainian cabinet that is to be formed today will aim at European integration; p 6 (440 words).

13. Denis Skorobogatko et al. report headlined "Moscow offers price for Crimea" comments on Moscow's reaction to pro-Russian rallies in Crimea and plans for large-scale investment projects in the region; p 6 (785 words).

14. Vitaly Gaidayev article headlined "Ukrainian debts hang on ruble" says the ruble rate has fallen down to the level of 2009 partially due to political and economic instability in neighboring Ukraine; p 8 (459 words).

Nezavisimaya Gazeta

1. Tatyana Ivzhenko article headlined "Anti-Maidan peninsula. Crimea insists on its demands" says the situation in Crimea is escalating, as pro-Russian supporters are staging rallies and welcome the drill of the Russian Black Sea Fleet and the support by Chechen head Ramzan Kadyrov; pp 1, 6 (1,233 words).

2. Ivan Rodin article headlined "Bailiffs turn into real law-enforcement agencies" details the bill on more powers to bailiffs that the State Duma is to pass in the final reading tomorrow; pp 1, 3 (628 words).

3. Yekaterina Trifonova article headlined "Migrants' labour to go up in price" outlines how Russian officials are going to curb illegal migration. The labour ministry wants to introduce criminal responsibility for the absence of employment contracts when hiring migrants; pp 1, 3 (799 words).

4. Igor Naumov article headlined "Protectionist weapons of trade wars" says being a WTO member, Russia is going to demand access for its companies to some markets closed by protectionist measures; pp 1, 4 (633 words).

5. Anton Khodosevich article headlined "Belarusian Pension Fund lacks money" says the Belarusian Pension Fund is running out of money, experts believe that an increase in retirement age could help the situation; pp 1-2 (737 words).

6. Daria Tsilyurik article headlined "Matteo Renzi ready to change Italy in 100 days" says new Italian Prime Minister Matteo Renzi pledges to carry out drastic economic reforms; pp 1, 7 (780 words).

7. Editorial headlined "Revolution carries church with itself" says the Ukrainian branch of the Russian Orthodox Church, sensing the political trends in the country, has started speaking about the possibility of uniting with the church group that separated from Moscow and about the need to fight against corruption; p 2 (501 words).

8. Alexei Gorbachev article "Kudrin proposes making real crime rate public" details a proposal put forward by the former finance minister's Civil Initiatives Committee to post crime statistics on-line; p 3 (600 words).

9. Alina Terekhova article headlined "Russian Finance Ministry says farewell to Ukrainian debts" says the Financial Ministry has admitted that it may be impossible to return $3 billion it lent to the former Ukrainian authorities late last year; p 4 (765 words).

10. Artur Blinov article headlined "Obama stops having anything to do with Karzai" says the U.S. is getting ready to withdraw from Afghanistan completely by the end of the year. Washington does not expect to sign a security agreement with the present Afghan authorities; p 7 (626 words).

Vedomosti

1. Lilia Biryukova et al. report headlined "Moscow already divided" says United Russia will benefit from the new scheme for the Moscow City Duma election, as "independent" candidates supported by the party are expected to take most of the seats together with United Russia members; pp 1, 3 (1,050 words).

2. Editorial headlined "Printer failure" says presidential legal aide Larisa Brycheva has criticized the State Duma over the quality of laws it adopts. The article notes that the way the parliament adopts laws does harm to business and society; pp 1, 6 (350 words).

3. Anastasia Kornya and Marina Zheleznova article headlined "Navalny to be arrested" says the Investigative Committee insists on changing the measure of restraint for opposition leader Alexei Navalny from a written pledge not to leave town to house arrest. The move may have a negative effect on his supporters taking part in the Moscow City Duma election; p 2 (650 words).

4. Polina Khimshiashvili and Svetlana Bocharova article "New Defense of Sevastopol" looks at the situation in Ukraine's Crimea and Russia's response to it, saying that it is unlikely that the events will follow the same scenario as with Georgia's breakaway regions of Abkhazia and South Ossetia; p 2 (450 words).

5. Margarita Lyutova report "To make money on devaluation" looks on the implications of the ruble losing its value against the dollar and the euro; p 5 (600 words).

6. Editorial headlined "Semi-autonomous peninsula" says not the entire Russian-speaking population of Crimea support separatist moods in the region. The article notes that it is mutually beneficial for Kiev and Moscow to retain Russian military presence in Crimea; p 6 (400 words).

Izvestia

1. Yelizaveta Mayetnaya article headlined "If we remain silent, others will decide for us, as was the case on Maidan" reports on clashes between pro-Russian protesters and Crimean Tatars in Simferopol. The article, however, notes that the number of Crimea residents who seek independence from Ukraine has reduced in a year; pp 1, 7 (1,281 words).

2. Pavel Panov article headlined "Speech therapists and dentists to be able to do alternative military service" says representatives of 65 professions, including some doctors, will be able to do alternative military service in Russia; pp 1, 4 (556 words).

3. Andrei Gridasov report "Head of Oboronservis subsidiary accuses investigation of deceit" says the lawyers representing Alexander Yelkin, one of the suspects in a high-profile investigation into alleged corruption at the Defense Ministry-controlled Oboronservis holding company, have complained of how the investigation is being conducted ; pp 1, 4 (650 words).

4. Andrei Gridasov report "Investigation seeks house arrest for Navalny" quotes a source in the Federal Penal Service as saying that opposition leader Alexei Navalny, who was given a suspended sentence in the KirovLes case, is unlikely to be sent to prison since for that to happen it needs to be proven that he "systematically violates" terms of serving his sentence; pp 1-2 (450 words).

5. Lyudmila Podobedova article "Government to order Roscosmos to monitor oil companies" says there are plans to use space technologies to monitor oil spills; pp 2, 4 (700 words).

6. Alexander Yunashev article "President's rating reaches Olympian heights" looks at the effect the success of the Sochi Olympics has had on President Putin's popularity rating; p 2 (250 words).

7. Natalia Bashlykova interview with Communist lawmaker Vadim Potomsky appointed acting Oryol region governor, who speaks about his plans in the post; p 2 (562 words).

8. Yelena Malay interview with Astrakhan Region governor Alexander Zhilkin headlined "I have informed the Foreign Ministry that we are ready to receive Berkut" covers his reaction to developments in Ukraine, the economic and social situation in the region and the Caspian summit that Astrakhan region will be hosting later this year; p 2 (1,000 words).

9. Anastasia Kashevarova article "Kadyrov describes situation in Ukraine as coup d'etat" sums up the Chechen leader's assessment of the recent events in Ukraine; p 3 (400 words).

10. Vladimir Zykov article "State bodies will be given six months to move their websites back to Motherland" details a draft law being discussed at the State Duma that would require all state and municipal bodies to have their websites hosted in Russia; p 3 (450 words).

11. Maria Gorkovskaya interview with French politician Ludovic de Danne, representing France's Front National, speaking against the EU plans to allocate financial support to the new Ukrainian authorities; p 7 (860 words).

12. Political analyst Stanislav Khatuntsev commentary piece headlined "Independent Crimea" looks at the recent developments in Ukraine and speculates on the possibility of Crimea declaring independence; p 9 (800 words).

13. Philosopher Alexander Dugin commentary piece headlined "To refuse recognition of new Ukraine" argues that Russia should refuse to recognize the legitimacy of new Ukrainian authorities; p 9 (450 words).

14. Pundit Konstantin Simonov commentary piece headlined "Olympics against myths" looks at the impact the Sochi Olympic Games have had on the way Russia is perceived abroad; p 9 (800 words).

Rossiiskaya Gazeta

1. Natalia Kozlova interview with deputy chairman of the Russian Investigative Committee and chief military investigator Colonel General Alexander Sorochkin headlined "Generals of criminal cases" on high-profile corruption cases within the Defense Ministry, namely the case of former Defense Minister aide Yevgenia Vasilyeva; pp 1, 6 (1,700 words).

2. Vladislav Vorobyev article headlined "Crimean echo of Maidan" reports on clashes between pro-Russian protesters and Crimean Tatars in Simferopol; pp 1, 8 (600 words).

3. Igor Dunayevsky interview with Economic Development Minister Alexei Ulyukayev speaking on his visit to the U.S. and prospects for Russian economic growth; p 4 (1,000 words).

4. Sergei Ptichkin article headlined "Invisible submarines go down deep" reports on the trials of a fourth-generation submarine in the Arctic. The author praises technical characteristics of the new Russian submarine; p 7 (750 words).

5. Yevgeny Shestakov article headlined "'Political instructors' come into power?" reports on the difficulties with forming a new Ukrainian government and notes that protest leaders representing different political forces want to get seats in the cabinet; p 8 (700 words).

Moskovsky Komsomolets

1. Yekaterina Petukhova report "Topical Crimea" looks at the situation in Crimea were Russian-speaking population and Crimean Tatars disagree on the recent political changes in Ukraine; pp 1, 3 (450 words).

2. Alexei Lebedev commentary piece headlined "End of legend No. 17 better than horror without end" looks at the failure of the Russian men's ice-hockey team at the Sochi Olympics; p 1 (350 words).

3. Mikhail Zubov interview with Civil Platform Party leader Irina Prokhorova, sister of billionaire and founder of the party Mikhail Prokhorov, speaking on her party political plans and her own ambitions; pp 1, 4 (1,200 words).

4. Marina Ozerova article "Duma to put in votes into 'anti-terror' package" says the recent events in Ukraine have prompted the State Duma to speed up work on three so-called anti-terrorist bills proposed after the suicide bombings in Volgograd late last year; p 2 (375 words).

5. Anastasia Rudakova and Nikolai Makeyev article "By May, default may hit neighbors" looks at the economic situation in Ukraine and how it may affect Russia; p 3 (400 words).

RBK Daily

1. Alexander Litoi et al. report "Ukrainian guest" says that deposed Ukrainian President Viktor Yanukovych, whose whereabouts remained unknown over the last few days, is now in Moscow region; p 1 (600 words).

2. Irina Yuzbekova et al. report "Terrorists to be left with cash" says that the State Duma has approved the "anti-terrorist" package of laws despite protests of market players and warnings of the Economic Development Ministry; pp 1-2 (1,500 words).

3. Ivan Petrov report "Front from west" says that President Vladimir Putin has "suddenly" ordered a check of combat readiness of the troops in Russia's regions adjacent to Ukraine; p 2 (650 words).

4. Gleb Kostarev report "Debt totaling $66 billion" looks at the economic situation in Ukraine and says that the country should urgently find one-third of the sum to avoid default; p 3 (400 words).

Noviye Izvestia

1. Mark Agatov report "Line fight" looks at the situation in Ukraine's Crimea and says that clashes between Crimean Tatars and the Russian-speaking population have begun outside the Crimean parliament in Simferopol; pp 1-2 (450 words).

2. Anna Alexeyeva report "Free program" says that Russian human rights activists have made a statement about mass violations committed by police during detentions of people near the Zamoskvoretsky court and on Manezh Square in Moscow, where protests were held against the verdict in the so-called Bolotnaya case; pp 1, 5 (550 words).

3. Vardan Ogandzhanyan report "'Work in field'" says that the Federation Council has said it is setting up a commission to monitor the situation in Ukraine. The State Duma plans to hold a meeting behind closed doors to assess the situation in Ukraine; p 2 (600 words).

4. Artem Lunkov report "'Adapting life to propaganda pattern'" says that Rossia 1 television's program "Vesti Nedeli", dedicated to the situation in Ukraine, has showed "biased prejudice"; p 2 (400 words).

5. Yana Sergeyeva article "Looking for honest professionals" says that the Ukrainian parliament together with Maidan plans to approve a new government on Feb. 27; p 2 (550 words).

6. Yelena Firsova report "Owners of internet websites to be made to keep data on users' actions" says that the State Duma has suggested that the owners of internet websites should be obliged to keep information about the actions of their users; p 5 (300 words).

Komsomolskaya Pravda

1. Viktor Baranets report "Putin puts forces on alert again" says that Putin has announced a snap check of combat readiness in western Russia; p 2 (200 words).

2. Sergei Polosatov report "Elusive Vik" says that the newspaper's correspondents have tried to find out where deposed Ukrainian President Viktor Yanukovych is now; p 3 (600 words).

3. Unattributed report polls politicians and experts about Yanukovych's possible whereabouts; p 3 (400 words).

4. Alexei Ovchinnikov report "Crimea decides with whom to stay" looks at the situation in Ukraine's Crimea; p 4 (600 words).

5. Alexei Ovchinnikov report "Sevastopol organizes Defense" says that the protest movement in Sevastopol, Crimea, is becoming more powerful; p 4 (350 words).

6. Mikhail Bocharov report "Hunt for Yanukovych's billions" says that the U.S. Treasury Department has ordered banks to monitor closely Yanukovych's deposits; p 5 (200 words).

7. Alexander Gamov interview with State Duma member Iosif Kobzon who comments on the situation in Ukraine; p 7 (1,300 words).

Trud

1. Alexander Protsenko report "Nowhere to run" looks at the situation in Ukraine and its economy, in particular; p 2 (850 words).

2. Lyudmila Bezrukova report "Neva does not want to flow into Okean Elzy" says that Russian parliament members have called for the cancelation of the planned concerts of the Ukrainian band Okean Elzy in St. Petersburg; p 2 (500 words).

Komsomolskaya Pravda weekly

1. Yevgeny Chernykh interview headlined "How will possible split in Ukraine affect Russia?" with head of the Institute of Globalization Problems Mikhail Delyagin, who comments on the current situation in Ukraine; pp 2-3 (1,100 words).

Tvoi Den

1. Anton Stepanov report "Crimean front" says that mass unrest in Ukraine has moved from Kiev to Crimea; pp 1-3 (650 words).

Feb. 27, 2014 / BBC Monitoring / ©BBC