What the Papers Say, Apr. 25, 2014

Kommersant

1. Ivan Safronov et al. report headlined "Teaching peace" says the Defense Ministry has reacted to a special operation in Ukraine's southeast by launching military drills on the border with Ukraine; p 1 (953 words).

2. Vitaly Gaydayev article headlined "Border trade" says that the special operation in Ukraine's southeast and the Russian Defense Ministry's reaction to it have badly affected Russian share prices; pp 1, 10 (485 words).

3. Yelena Chernenko interview with head of Rossotrudnichestvo Konstantin Kosachev headlined "'Nobody admits that national interests are behind donation'" where he speaks about a new concept of the state policy regarding contribution to international development, which envisages the allocation of $5 billion for donor projects in other countries in the near future; pp 1, 4 (2,784 words).

4. Vladimir Solovyev et al. report headlined "Capital outflow floods Moldova" says that the Moldovan authorities have initiated a criminal case over a record- breaking money laundering scheme involving local banks and judges, as well as Russian, Ukrainian and offshore companies; pp 1, 10 (1,396 words).

5. Maxim Ivanov article headlined "Russia becomes great power for 75 percent" says that polls conducted by state-owned VTsIOM show that the share of those who think that Russia will be or become a great power, has increased up to 74 percent after Crimea joined Russia; p 2 (361 words).

6. Maxim Ivanov et al. report headlined "Roskomnadzor to find what should not be" says that the communications watchdog plans to launch a system that will automatically search the Internet for extremist materials by the end of the year; p 2 (394 words).

7. Viktor Khamrayev et al. report headlined "Vladimir Putin finds his bearings in media sphere" provides highlights of President Vladimir Putin's meeting with participants in the first media forum held in St. Petersburg; p 2 (827 words).

8. Sofya Samokhina and Maxim Ivanov article headlined "Sentences from domestic producer" says that the ruling United Russia party is drafting a bill enabling to dismiss decisions of foreign courts on cases which can be heard in Russia; p 2 (386 words).

9. Ivan Tyazhlov article headlined "No slight changes in Alexei Navalny's fate" says that the Zamoskvoretsky District Court has begun preliminary hearings in the case of opposition leader Alexei Navalny and his brother Oleg charged with fraud and money laundering; p 5 (571 words).

10. Tatyana Serbina article headlined "Former Makhachkala mayor denies attempt to shoot down plane" looks at the first day of the trial of former Makhachkala mayor Said Amirov and his nephew charged with plotting a terrorist attack; p 5 (563 words).

11. Pavel Tarasenko article headlined "Eastern Partnership striving to be flexible" says that a two-day meeting of participants in the EU's Eastern Partnership program has begun in Prague; p 7 (660 words).

12. Ilya Barabanov and Ilya Pitalev article headlined "Slovyansk tackled with storm" looks at the developments in Ukraine's Slovyansk: clashes between the Ukrainian military and self-defense forces took place on Apr. 24. The military occupied several checkpoints near Slovyansk, but did not storm the town and retreated after a while; p 7 (455 words).

13. Yulia Gallyamova and Anna Solodovnikova article titled "Rosneft protects Murmansk" says Rosneft head Igor Sechin has asked Prime Minister Dmitry Medvedev to not relocate the funds from the Murmansk transport hub essential for Rosneft's work on Russia's continental shelf in the Arctic Ocean for the development of Crimean ports; p 11 (750 words).

14. Anna Solodovnikova article headlined "Zarubezhneft returns to LUKoil" says that the state-owned oil company Zarubezhneft and LUKoil may set up a consortium to jointly operate in Iraq; p 11 (600 words).

Nezavisimaya Gazeta

1. Oleg Vladykin article headlined "Shoigu sends battalions to west" says that Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu has announced large-scale tactical drills close to the Ukrainian border and linked them to a special operation in Ukraine's southeast; pp 1-2 (370 words).

2. Alexandra Samarina article headlined "Vladimir Putin recognizes bloggers" says that Putin has attended the All-Russia People's Front media forum. He spoke in support of the bill equalling bloggers to mass media outlets with all ensuing responsibilities; pp 1, 3 (1,164 words).

3. Igor Naumov article headlined "Water deprivation looming over Crimea" says that if Moscow and Kiev do not reach agreement on water supplies to Crimea, the peninsula's agricultural facilities will have a difficult time; pp 1, 4 (594 words).

4. Svetlana Gamova article headlined "Right Sector surrounding Dnestr region" says that the Ukrainian far-right movement Right Sector has taken control over several roads leading to the Dnestr region. A Moldovan parliament member told the newspaper that an act of provocation against Russia was being prepared on the border with the region; pp 1,7 (909 words).

5. Tatyana Ivzhenko article headlined "They attempt to storm Slovyansk" says that Ukrainian servicemen tried to storm Slovyansk but suspended the operation. Military actions in Ukraine's east may disrupt the May 25 presidential election; besides, Russia may intervene to defend the people living in Ukraine's southeast; pp 1, 7 (1,461 words).

6. Vladimir Skosyrev article headlined "Obama takes side with Japan in dispute with China" says that U.S. President Barack Obama has assured Japan that islands in the center of its territorial dispute with China are covered by a bilateral defense treaty; pp 1, 8 (602 words).

7. Editorial headlined "Bloggers like mass media outlets without rights but with duties" criticizes the bill restricting the rights of bloggers and says that it means that the ambition for supervising and punishing has overcome considerations of practical value; p 2 (487 words).

8. Yekaterina Trifonova article headlined "Human rights activists of quick reaction" says that human rights activists hope that ombudsperson Ella Pamfilova will help them in their work with penal institutions; p 3 (524 words).

9. Alexei Gorbachev article headlined "Judgment day for opposition" says that the trial of opposition activist Alexei Navalny and that of a second group of Bolotnaya case defendants has begun; p 3 (619 words).

10. Alina Terekhova article headlined "Fifth wheel for managing others" looks at new initiatives the Open Government project has voiced following the president's criticism of its work; p 4 (691 words).

11. Alexander Bessmertnykh article headlined "Stop on slope" looks at how the Ukrainian crisis has affected Russia-U.S. relations and what steps can be taken to settle the escalating crisis; p 5 (2,100 words).

12. Sergei Kiselyov article headlined "Public Chamber gets down to offshore companies" looks at a round table meeting held at the Public Chamber to discuss measures against offshore companies; p 6 (1,367 words).

13. Darya Tsiryulik article headlined "UN seeking successor for Lakhdar Brahimi" says that UN-Arab League Special Representative for Syria Lakhdar Brahimi has decided to leave his post over accusations of prejudice from Damascus; p 8 (738 words).

14. Yevgeny Grigoryev article headlined "Important half-dialogue of Russia, Germany amid crisis" says that despite the crisis in Russia's relations with the West, the St. Petersburg Dialogue did take place; p 8 (550 words).

Vedomosti

1. Margarita Papchenkova and Liliya Biryukova article headlined "Sergei Glazyev knows how to protect Russia" says that amid the possibility of new economic sanctions from the West, presidential adviser Sergei Glazyev has proposed a plan of Russia's response to sanctions: to build economy not dependent on the West and oust the dollar from it; pp 1, 5 (700 words).

2. Editorial headlined "High demands" contemplates problems in the Russian higher education system; pp 1, 6 (800 words).

3. Alexei Nikolsky and Polina Khimshiashvili article headlined "Drills stop war" says that Ukrainian law enforcers have resumed a special operation near Slovyansk, but suspended it again after Russian troops were ordered to move close to the Ukrainian border for drills; p 2 (450 words).

4. Filipp Sterkin and Svetlana Bocharova article headlined "Deputies declare war on courts" says that in response to Western sanctions, Russian lawmakers are drafting a bill to declare void the rulings of foreign courts on cases that should be heard by Russian courts; p 4 (600 words).

5. Margarita Lyutova article headlined "Protection from sanctions" says that Russia is trying to oblige the U.S. to lift its sanctions via the WTO; p 4 (500 words).

6. Yekaterina Kravchenko article headlined "Closed Europe" says that the EU may close its market for all Russian companies working in Crimea; p 5 (400 words).

7. Editorial headlined "Sovereign economy" looks at the consequences of making Russia's strategic industries independent from the West; p 6 (400 words).

8. Yulia Orlova article headlined "Market dislikes drills" says that Russian market indices have dropped by over 2 percent after the news about a special operation in Ukraine's southeast and Russian troops' drills near the Ukrainian border; p 11 (350 words).

9. Galina Starinskaya and Mikhail Serov article headlined "Linked with one pipe" says that the Ukrainian crisis will not result in the cancelation of Russian gas supplies to Europe as Europe will need years to find new suppliers, whereas Russia can start supplying gas to Asia in 2020 at the earliest; p B1-B7 (1,600 words).

Rossiiskaya Gazeta

1. Marina Aleshina and Georgy Porozhnyak article headlined "Slovyansk under fire" features correspondent's report from Slovyansk about a special operation by Ukrainian law enforcers; pp 1, 8 (900 words).

2. Kira Latukhina article headlined "It depends on you as well" says that Putin has called the use of army in Slovyansk a crime at the first media forum of independent regional and local mass media outlets; p 2 (1,000 words).

3. Tamara Shkel article headlined "Electing in Russian way" says that the State Duma will consider several bills concerning Crimea and Sevastopol on April 25; p 3 (500 words).

4. Yevgeny Shestakov article headlined "Kiev hires Right Sector" says that the current Ukrainian authorities are using Right Sector militants for punitive operations in the southeast of the country; p 8 (800 words).

Izvestia

1. Darya Tsoy et al. report headlined "Senators suggest bringing peacekeepers in Donetsk region" says that Federation Council senator Valery Shnyakin has emphasized the need for four-way talks and for bringing peacekeepers in Ukraine's southeast; p 11 (1,000 words).

2. Lyudmila Podobedova article headlined "Gazprom advises to pay in advance" says that Gazprom has suggested that Ukraine should voluntarily switch to a pre-payment plan; p 11 (726 words).

3. Yegor Kholmogorov op-ed headlined "Russian Tsar Hunting" says that the attack of Ukrainian law enforcers on Slovyansk has shown that hopes for a peaceful settlement should be abandoned as the Kiev authorities are acting against the interests of Ukrainian people and their own interests as well; p 12 (962 words).

4. Anastasia Kashevarova interview with Minister for Relations with Open Government Mikhail Abyzov speaking about his plans to reorganize the government machine; p 4 (2,100 words).

Moskovsky Komsomolets

1. Svetlana Samodelova article headlined "There is no way out, Slovyansk is behind!" features correspondent's report from Slovyansk; pp 1-2 (950 words).

2. Igor Karmazin article headlined "Right Sector creating punitive battalion" says that the Right Sector leader has announced the setting up of a special battalion to put southeastern Ukraine to rights; p 2 (337 words).

3. Dmitry Katorzhnov article headlined "Not Navalny's day" looks at the hearings in defamation case and Yves Rocher case against Navalny; p 4 (524 words).

4. Ignat Kalinin article titled "Russian army ready to stage 'humanitarian operation'" speculates on the Russian army's readiness to stage a "humanitarian operation" to protect the Russian-language population of Ukraine's Luhansk and Donetsk regions; pp 1-2 (300 words).

5. Renat Abdullin and Yelena Gamayun article headlined "Beard malfunction" says that the U.S. State Department has mistaken a Cossack for a Chechen intelligence officer when trying to find incriminating evidence of Russia's participation in the Ukrainian conflict; p 3 (600 words).

Novaya Gazeta

1. Pavel Kanygin report "'Bruises will pass soon"' says that representatives of "people's militia of Donetsk people's republic" have talked to the newspaper's correspondent about an abducted U.S. journalist and said that he was a "U.S. spy" and they would exchange him for arrested "people's governor" Pavel Hubarev; p 6 (450 words).

2. Maria Yepifanova report "Deputies hit history" says that according to a new bill introducing responsibility for the "rehabilitation of Nazism", people may be sent to prison for five years for a wrong interpretation of the events of World War II; p 6 (500 words).

3. Irina Petrovskaya report "Sex, psychosis and politics" looks at the recent programmes of NTV and says that the television channel is "sculpting one sensation after another"; p 24 (800 words).

RBK Daily

1. Irina Yuzbekova report "Internet for people" looks at Putin's statements he made at a conference of regional and local mass media in St. Petersburg on Apr. 24 and says that Putin has formulated the state policy in relation to the Internet; pp 1, 8 (1,600 words).

2. Stepan Opalev report "Kiev begins and stops" says that the Geneva agreement on the Ukrainian crisis was signed a week ago, but most clauses of the agreement are not being implemented. The Kiev authorities tried to carry out a military operation in the east of the country, but failed to bring the situation under their control; pp 1-2 (1,300 words).

3. Svetlana Reyter report "Congress of peacekeepers" says that former Yukos head Mikhail Khodorkovsky has organized a congress of Russian and Ukrainian intelligentsia in Kiev; p 2 (800 words).

4. Ivan Tkachev report "To make money out of Obama" says that the Russian Rostekh state corporation, the Federal Space Agency and the gas giant Gazprom concluded state contracts with the U.S. worth $1 billion in 2012-13; p 3 (700 words).

5. Ivan Tkachev report "Blockading Crimea" says that the EU may impose financial blockade on Crimea; p 6 (700 words).

Noviye Izvestia

1. Sergei Yezhov report "Navalny's court day" says that opposition activist Alexei Navalny has lost a defamation lawsuit to State Duma deputy speaker from the United Russia party Sergei Neverov and was "nearly sent to prison"; p 2 (450 words).

2. Dmitry Durnev report "Ukrainian security forces begin military operation in Donetsk region" says that Ukrainian security forces have resumed a military operation in Donetsk region. However, they failed to bring Slovyansk under their control, report says; p 2 (500 words).

Komsomolskaya Pravda

1. Alexander Kots report "Ukrainian army storm Slovyansk" says that the "Kiev junta has resumed its special operation to suppress a popular uprising in the southeast of Ukraine; p 4 (600 words).

Trud

1. Sergei Frolov report "Almost war" looks at the Ukrainian security forces' military operation in Slovyansk and Mariupol and says that Russia and Ukraine have found themselves on the brink of a large-scale armed conflict. Article features experts' comments on the issue; pp 1-2 (1,300 words).

2. Alexei Posdnyakov interview with Mikhail Shmakov, head of the Federation of Independent Trade Unions of Russia; p 5 (3,300 words).

Tvoi Den

1. Anton Stepanov report "This is junta!" says that the Ukrainian army has "attacked civilians and carried out a massacre" in Slovyansk, Donetsk ; pp 1-3 (300 words).

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