What the Papers Say, May 24, 2013

Kommersant

1. Andrei Kolesnikov article headlined "Convicts freed from amnesty" reports on President Vladimir Putin's meeting with businessmen in Voronezh. Putin has criticized an idea to free small business from taxes and has not backed the idea to grant an amnesty to businessmen convicted of economic crimes; pp 1, 3 (1,140 words).



2. Mikhail Serov et al. article headlined "Gazprom returns to Baltic" says that the Russian gas giant Gazprom may revive a project to build an LNG plant in the town of Primorsk, Leningrad Region; pp 1, 11 (686 words).



3. Olga Shestopal et al. article headlined "Renaissance Credit takes over client" says that the former general director of the Svyazinvest communications company, Yevgeny Yurchenko, has become a minority shareholder of the bank Renaissance Credit; pp 1, 9 (803 words).



4. Anna Pushkarskaya article headlined "Valery Zorkin uses constitutional right" says that Constitutional Court chairman Valery Zorkin and his deputy Sergei Mavrin have quit the European (Venice) Commission for Democracy through Law; pp 1-2 (999 words).



5. Irina Nagornykh article headlined "Governors to sit down to study" says that all Russian regional heads will undergo state management training in June; p 2 (427 words).



6. Yelena Kiseleva article headlined "Half billion washed somewhere from submarine Nerpa " says that the United Shipbuilding Corporation has revealed that 500 million rubles (some $16 million at the current exchange rate) has been lost from the funds allocated by the Russian state arms export agency Rosoboroneksport to complete work for the nuclear submarine Nerpa to be leased to the Indian Navy; p 3 (738 words).



7. Grigory Tumanov and Vyacheslav Kozlov article headlined "Pressure on square" says that the so-called Bolotnaya case on the 6 May 2012 riots on Moscow's Bolotnaya square has been submitted to court. The materials of the case show that not only certain opposition activists, but also the Russian authorities knew about plans to organize riots instead of a peaceful rally on the square; p 4 (1,863 words).



8. Sergei Nikolayev article headlined "Ichkeria now lacks even honorary consul" says that a native of Chechnya and an associate of Chechen secular separatist leader Akhmed Zakayev has been killed in Turkey; p 5 (673 words).



9. Grigory Tumanov brief report "Pussy Riot member denied parole" says that the Berezniki city court has refused to release Pussy Riot punk band member Maria Alyokhina early from prison; p 5 (200 words).



10. Sergei Strokan article headlined "Syria has nothing to come with to reconcile" says that participants in the Friends of Syria meeting in Jordan and in a meeting of the National Coalition of Syrian Revolutionary and Opposition Forces in Istanbul have demanded that President Bashar al-Asad step down as a compulsory condition of the launch of talks between the Syrian feuding parties. This casts a shadow on a success of the Geneva-2 international conference on Syria, article says; p 7 (543 words).



11. Kirill Belyaninov et al. article headlined "They write to Barack Obama, but do not sign" says that Putin's confidential letter to U.S. President Barack Obama, which is a response to the recent document with proposals to continue cooperation on missile defense, has been handed over to Obama; p 7 (809 words).



12. Alexei Dospekhov and Afsati Dzhusoyti interview with Alexander Zhukov, the president of the Russian Olympic Committee, headlined "'If wrestling loses Olympic status, it will be serious blow'", who speaks about the future of wrestling as an Olympic sports, the situation in Russian sport and preparations for the 2014 Winter Olympics in Sochi; p 15 (2,722 words).



13. Pavel Tarasenko report "Britain fights against Islam and Islamophobia" looks at the terrorist attack in London and says that it has reminded the British about the internal terrorism; p 7 (550 words).


Nezavisimaya Gazeta

1. Gleb Postnov article headlined "Purges en route hospitality" says that a large-scale exercise will be held in Kazan in June to check the preparedness of municipal services and the police for the 2013 World Student Games; pp 1-2 (436 words).



2. Alexei Gorbachev article headlined "Bolotnaya case seems not to be ready for court" says that searches have been held at the flats of two Left Front activists within the framework of the so-called Bolotnaya case, although the probe into it has been completed and the case has been sent to court. Lawyers say that investigators have thus tried to meet a lack of evidence; pp 1-2 (601 words).



3. Vladimir Mukhin article headlined "Secret arms of collective security" says that Russia is concerned about security of its southern boarders and in Central Asia after the coalition forces are withdrawn from Afghanistan in 2014. So, it plans to speed up arming the Collective Security Treaty Organization with Russian up-to-date weapons and military hardware, including secret ones; pp 1-2 (632 words).



4. Alexandera Samarina and Ivan Rodin article headlined "Not quite natural selection" says that the Justice Ministry has suspended the registration of new political parties. Experts says that the move has a hidden political motive given the forthcoming regional elections in autumn; pp 1, 3 (1,050 words).



5. Igor Naumov article headlined "Mikhail Abyzov becomes material evidence" says that judging by media coverage of the performance of the Ministry for Relations with Open Government, society is not interested in it because most Russians do not know what the ministry is doing, what functions and tasks it has; pp 1, 4 (722 words).



6. Tatyana Ivzhenko article headlined "Russian diplomat organizes scandal" describes the Russian-Ukrainian diplomatic scandal caused by Russian consul-general in Simferopol Vladimir Andreyev's insulting remarks about Crimean Tatars and says that Andreyev will most likely be replaced soon; pp 1, 7 (965 words).



7. Viktor Myasnikov article headlined "Acceptable tariff on patriotic duty" criticizes the recent initiative to introduce an increased income tax for those who have evaded military service; p 2 (615 words).



8. Editorial headlined "Arab Spring returns to Iraq" says that ethnic conflicts are on the rise in Iraq, which is fraught with a large-scale civil war and a split of the country; p 2 (517 words).



9. Sergei Kulikov article headlined "Gazprom suggests LNG puzzle" says that competition on the domestic LNG market may intensify soon as the Russian gas giant Gazprom plans to launch a new LGN project, which has been kept secret so far; p 4 (704 words).



10. Vladimir Gurvich report "Economy of pessimism" looks at the economic situation in Russia and says that a social state has begun to destroy the economy; p 5 (3,700 words).



11. Yevgenia Novikova article headlined "Putin's response delivered to Obama" says that Russian Security Council Secretary Nikolay Patrushev has handed over to US President Barack Obama a confidential letter from Putin, which is a response to the recent document with proposals to continue cooperation on missile defense; p 8 (763 words).


Vedomosti

1. Anton Trifonov and Mikhail Overchenko article headlined "Dive according to protocol" says that the US Federal Reserve System may stop stimulating the economy this summer. Stock exchanges responded to this information with a slump. Article features comment of Vyacheslav Smolyaninov, chief strategist at Uralsib Capital; pp 1, 15 (630 words).



2. Oleg Salmanov article headlined "Rescuer Chubais" looks at the results of the Audit Chamber's check on the state corporation Rosnano and features Rosnano head Anatoly Chubais' comment on them; pp 1, 16 (774 words).



3. Editorial headlined "Center in downtown" says that a new parliamentary center will be built in central Moscow, but not in Moscow Region as was planned before; pp 1, 6 (429 words).



4. Alexei Nikolsky article headlined "You defend yourselves from wrong things" quotes the head of the Main Intelligence Directorate of the General Staff of the Russian Armed Forces, Lieutenant-General Igor Sergun, as saying that radical extremism and transnational terrorism are the main security threats in the Euro-Atlantic region. He was speaking at the international conference on European security in Moscow; p 3 (330 words).



5. Yelena Khodyakova article headlined "Division of shelf" says that Gazprom and Rosneft have agreed on the division of eight disputed areas on the Arctic shelf. Gazprom will develop seven areas and both companies will jointly develop the remained area; p 13 (309 words).



6. Olga Kuvshinova article headlined "Time to cooperate" says that the Higher School of Economics has analyzed risks that Russia will face if it joins the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development. The main risk is a negative image of Russia; p 4 (857 words).



7. Lilia Biryukova article headlined "Too rough for amnesty" says that Putin has not backed an idea to grant an amnesty to businessmen convicted of economic crimes because there is a risk of freeing thieves and thimble-riggers; p 3 (524 words).



8. Editorial headlined "Russia ordered" says that Russia's image in the world is worsening, but the Russian authorities do not seem to be concerned about this for some reason; p 6 (330 words).



9. Anastasia Kornya article headlined "Children not taken" says that judging by court statistics, foreign adoption of Russian children decreased by 21 per cent in 2012. The same trend was observed in domestic adoption; p 2 (509 words).


Izvestia

1. Alena Sivkova and Yelena Malay article headlined "Ivan Demidov to quit post of deputy culture minister" says that Russian filmmakers and producers are displeased with state support for development of cinema. Sources in the president's council for culture and arts and the Culture Ministry have said that Deputy Culture Minister Ivan Demidov will be dismissed soon; pp 1, 4 (629 words).



2. Andrei Gridasov article headlined "Electronic bracelet put on former certifying commission head Shamkhalov" says that an electronic bracelet has been put on Education Ministry official Feliks Shamkhalov, charged with stealing a Vneshekonombank loan, to trace how he observes home arrest conditions; pp 1, 4 (579 words).



3. Anna Akhmadyeva article headlined "MK withdraws printed copies from trade networks" says that the remaining printed copies of the 23 May edition of the newspaper Moskovsky Komsomolets have been withdrawn from sale allegedly over Mikhail Rostovsky's article called "Surkov for breakfast, Medvedev for lunch, or where democrats come from in Russia", which speaks ironically about United Russia senior member's decision to quit the party and Prime Minister Dmitry Medvedev's political prospects; pp 1, 4 (494 words).



4. Petr Kozlov article headlined "Tolerance centers to cost R1.5bn" says that the Regional Development Ministry plans to begin to set up tolerance centers across Russia as from 2014, where those who so want can study culture and traditions of Russian peoples; pp 1-2 (524 words).



5. Alexander Lukmanov article headlined "Human factor becomes main in An-2 crash case" says that the Russian Investigations Committee and the Russian Interstate Aviation Committee (MAK) have determined that a pilot's error has caused the June 2012 crash of an An-2 aircraft in Sverdlovsk Region, which claimed the lives of 13 people; pp 1, 3 (570 words).



6. Svetlana Subbotina article headlined "Anna Chapman enters board of directors of Fondservisbank" says that TV presenter Anna Chapman, who became well-known after the Russian-U.S. spy scandal in 2010, has become a member of the board of directors of Fondservisbank; p 2 (581 words).



7. Oleg Klimenko article headlined "Tatar issue embroils Ukraine with Russia" says that a diplomatic scandal has erupted between Russia and Ukraine over Russian consul-general in Simferopol Vladimir Andreyev's statement. He accused Crimean Tatars of aiding fascists during World War II; p 7 (602 words).



8. Igor Yavlyansky article headlined "German intelligence believes in Al-Asad" says that Germany has admitted that the pro-government Syrian forces have improved their positions so that they are capable of conducting successful offensive operations, and features Russian experts' comments on the issue; p 7 (602 words).



9. Viktor Toporov article headlined "Experts or roly-polies?" contemplates the performance of the Russian Investigations Committee, which has recently become one of the main newsmakers in Russia; p 9 (735 words).



10. Politician Eduard Limonov article headlined "Do not dare pass 'this'" criticizes Russian businessmen's rights ombudsman Boris Titov's initiative to grant an amnesty to businessmen convicted of economic crimes; p 9 (576 words).



11. Leonid Shakhov article headlined "Time of cardinals" comments on United Russia senior member Alexei Chesnakov's decision to quit the party; p 9 (494 words).



12. Leonid Zlotin article headlined "About eternal" comments on the Rosnano-Gazprom gas cooperation plans; p 9 (720 words).


Rossiiskaya Gazeta

1. Yevgeny Shestakov article headlined "Killing without visa" says that the recent developments in the UK, Sweden, the USA and France have shown that the policy of multiculturalism, which has been implemented in these countries for decades, has failed and the number of radically minded people there is on the rise; pp 1, 8 (636 words).



2. Vladislav Vorobyov article headlined "Only privately and confidentially" says that US President Obama has received Putin's confidential letter in response to the recent document with proposals to continue cooperation on missile defense; pp 1-2 (559 words).



3. Vladimir Kuzmin article headlined "'I am not nervous'" says that First Deputy Prime Minister Igor Shuvalov has denied speculations that he and some other government officials are going to step down, following Vladislav Surkov's example; p 2 (738 words).



4. Valery Vyzhutovich article headlined "What is under emblem" comments on the Justice Ministry's initiative to make a register of prohibited insignia; p 3 (668 words).



5. Yury Gavrilov report "Brake power" looks at the international conference on European security held in Moscow and says that Russia and NATO are looking for a way to safe future; p 3 (400 words).


Moskovsky Komsomolets

1. Alexander Khinshteyn article headlined "Driver for Nurgalyev" says that a group of policemen headed by former Interior Minister Rashid Nurgalyev's driver Alexander Kovalev has been detained on suspicion of large theft; pp 1, 3 (500 words).



2. Dmitry Popov article headlined "Duty to motherland by installment" criticizes State Duma deputies' initiative to introduce an increased income tax for those who have evaded military service; p 1 (300 words).



3. Tatyana Zamakhina article headlined "Regime of cloudy situations" says that Medvedev has officially admitted that the economic situation in Russia is "cloudy"; p 2 (550 words).



4. Unattributed interview in the column "Expert's opinion" with deputy head of the Center for Political Technologies, Alexei Makarkin who speaks about an attack against a British serviceman in London; p 3 (200 words).



5. Ignat Kalinin article headlined "Military men from across world discuss lunch" reports on the international conference on European security in Moscow; p 3 (600 words).



6. Stanislav Belkovsky article headlined "Gay showdown at top level" says that Russia seems to have no other important foreign policy problems, except the "disappearance" of Azerbaijan's points to Russia in the Eurovision song contest; p 3 (1,100 words).


Novaya Gazeta

1. Yevgeny Feldman article headlined "Belykh brings Navalnyy out of forest" describes Kirov Region governor Nikita Belykh's testimony in court as part of the trial of opposition activist Alexei Navalnyy targeted in the Kirovles timber company case; p 5 (811 words).



2. Boris Vishnevsky article headlined "The devil hides in details" condemns a bill introducing criminal responsibility for insulting believers' feelings, passed by the State Duma in the second reading on 21 May; p 6 (700 words).



3. Andrei Kolesnikov article headlined "Nominal bureaucrat of transit period" says new chief of the government staff and new Deputy Prime Minister Sergei Prikhodko has become one of the most powerful politicians in Russia and has been appointed at the right time to the right post; p 7 (562 words).



4. Irina Petrovskaya article headlined "I am always in hurry when I see light of its rays" shares the journalist's impression of the newly-launched Public TV; p 24 (967 words).


Komsomolskaya Pravda

1. Alexander Khodyakin article headlined "Islamists hack military man in London" features a comment on the Woolwich attack: Russian pundit Alexei Mukhin says the concept of a multicultural and multireligious Europe has failed; p 4 (500 words).


RBK Daily

1. Ivan Petrov article headlined "Doubtful alternative" says that Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu has decided to replace the military's salaried cooks and cleaners with alternative service soldiers; p 1 (500 words).


Trud

1. Sergei Frolov article headlined "Nice people with knives and guns" says the Woolwich attack has shown what threat uncontrolled immigration poses to countries; pp 1-2 (700 words).



2. Pavel Orlov article headlined "Visit strengthens oil contracts" focuses on a visit of Rosneft president Igor Sechin to Venezuela, saying that Russia remains Venezuela's major partner; p 3 (300 words).


Noviye Izvestia

1. Alexander Vasilyev article headlined "Policemen sacked for beating Blue Buckets activist" says five policemen have been sacked in St Petersburg for beating a coordinator of the protest movement; pp 1, 3 (250 words).