Support The Moscow Times!
Contribute today

Articles by Sam Skove

Russian Car Market Slump Slows to 30% in June

The Russian car market's collapse downshifted to a 29.7 percent drop year-on-year in June, largely thanks to a government program that has made car...

Discounts Boost Lada's Sales as Russian Car Market Nosedives


Sales of Russian budget car brand Lada soared more than 15 percent in June, boosted in part by an aggressive discounting scheme carried out even...

Despite Kremlin's Promises, Russian Food Ban Fails to Deliver

As Russia's retaliatory ban on select Western food imports nears its one-year mark, the Kremlin is trumpeting the embargo as a major opportunity for growth...

Russia's Middle Class Won't Return to Pre-Crisis Spending – Report

Russia's middle class is likely to continue to spend less even after the country's economy recovers from its current crisis, a report said Thursday...

Have Moscow's Hostels Come of Age?

Moscow's hostel industry, long stagnant compared to the frenzied markets of cities like London or Berlin, could see major growth as a rise in domestic...

4 Signs That Russia's Defense Industry is Pivoting Toward China

Amid an imminent helicopter deal and talk of a Chinese-Russian space station, relations between Moscow and Beijing are warming even as Russia's ties...

Car Insurance Hike Pushes Russian Pensioners Off the Road

Russia's poorest may be forced off the road thanks to a 40 percent rise in car insurance premiums this year, but the knock is unlikely to make much...

Russia Expands 'Pivot' East Beyond China to Vietnam and Thailand

Prime Minister Dmitry Medvedev this week traveled to Thailand and Vietnam to deepen Russia's economic ties with Asia amid a breakdown in relations...

Russians' Appetite for Luxury Cars Unbowed by Ruble Crisis

Russia's economic crisis hasn't touched Anna Kozyreva and Andrei Smirnov, a couple attending the grandiose opening of a Porsche auto dealership in Moscow...

U.S. Business Students Still See Russia as Land of Opportunity

The future chief executives of the United States see Russia as a "high-risk, high-reward" place to make money, at least according to a group of MBA...

Moscow's Plans for New Mega-Malls Threatened by Crisis

Plans to build a staggering 900,000 square meters of new mall space in Moscow this year are rapidly fizzling out as Russia's growing economic crisis...

'Moskva-City' Skyscrapers Set to Be Emptier Than Ever

"Moskva-City," a financial district of skyscrapers meant to be Russia's answer to New York's Wall Street, will be nearly half vacant this year, according...

Vacancies Multiply in Moscow's Upmarket Retail Districts

Moscow's swankiest streets are blooming with cherry red "For Rent" signs as retailers flee their flagship stores for cheaper rents elsewhere amid Russia's...

Medvedev Seeks Government Action on Rising Cost of Mortgages

Prime Minister Dmitry Medvedev on Monday told the government to ensure that mortgage lending isn't "reduced to nothing" as crushing loan payments squeeze...

As Tourists Steer Clear, Moscow's Luxury Hotels Fight Stagnation

Room rates at Moscow's luxury hotels will likely stagnate this year as continuing international tensions between the West and Russia sap demand, according...

Russia's Backtracking on TV Ad Law Points to Top Media Boss's Departure

Russia's lower house of parliament on Tuesday passed amendments that could return advertising to Russian pay-to-view channels, a move that analysts...

Russian Luxury Apartment Rents Sink as Expats Flee Moscow

Rental prices for Moscow's most expensive apartments fell 17 percent last year, according to a forthcoming IntermarkSavills report, with analysts blaming...

Moscow Office Rents to Drop Sharply as Recession Closes In

Office rent costs in Moscow are likely to nearly halve this year as companies' need to economize amid an oncoming recession combines with market oversupply...

Putin Expresses Support for Freed Sistema Head Yevtushenkov

Putin's expression of support for billionaire Sistema owner Yevtushenkov following his release from house arrest sent the conglomerate's stock up 90...

Russians' Race for Foreign Currency Empties Bank Tills

Currency exchange desks across the country were sucked dry of U.S. dollars and euros on Wednesday as Russians scrambled to turn their rapidly depreciating...

Russia Offers Bargain iPhone 6 Due to Struggling Ruble

Prices on expensive imported items, from Apple laptops to Gucci bags, are suddenly lower in Russia than in the West as ruble-denominated retail prices...

Russia Climbs 30 Places in World Bank Business Ranking

Despite dire forecasts for its sanctions-struck economy, Russia has leaped up an unprecedented 30 positions in the World Bank's annual "Doing Business"...

Moscow's Legendary Hotel Moskva to Reopen

Hotel Moskva, finished at the height of Stalin's power and demolished a decade ago under Moscow's construction-happy former Mayor Yury Luzhkov, will...

Russians Pull $5 Billion Out of Banks as Ruble Plummets

Russians pulled 52.6 billion rubles ($1.3 billion) out of ruble deposits in September as Moscow battled to keep its currency afloat amid plummeting...

Russia's State Duma Passes Law Compensating Western Asset Seizures in First Reading

The State Duma on Wednesday passed in its first reading a widely criticized bill known unofficially as the "Rotenberg law," which seeks to provide...

Wainwright Vibrates, Plays Piano in Town

Singer Rufus Wainwright, known for his lush, operatic and vocally complex songs, will bring his "Vibrate" tour to Moscow for his first show in Russia...

Summer Festivals Promise Fun and Fresh Air in Russia's Regions

Giant insects headed down the streets of Vyksa, a small industrial town in Nizhny Novgorod region earlier this month.

Therapy Group Krug Brings Vision of Integrated Society to Life

When Sasha Gogolev began art therapy at Moscow's Krug center, he was uncommunicative, at times speaking hardly a word.

U.S. Ceases Issuing Export Licenses on Some Goods Destined for Russia

Nearly $1.5 billion worth of trade between the U.S. and Russia could be threatened by a quietly made decision to stop U.S. firms from selling goods...

Western Companies Weighing In on Sanctions

As Western countries ramped up rhetoric about additional measures against Russia on Wednesday, U.S. business leaders were set to meet with Defense Secretary...

Russia's Startup Climate Still a Bit Chilly

Despite the Hollywood smiles and Silicon Valley enthusiasm brandished by speakers at Moscow's Global Entrepreneurship Congress on Tuesday, political...

Wealthy Russians 'Prefer British Visas' Despite Possible Sanctions

Wealthy Russians are likely to favor a popular British citizenship-for-investment program despite a shifting legal landscape and a looming threat of EU...

Russian Expedites Plan for $1.3Bln Bridge to Crimea

The proposed bridge spanning the Kerch Strait between Russia and Crimea will cost 50 billion rubles ($1.3 billion) and could be completed in 3 1/2...

How Wealthy Russians Buy a 2nd Passport

When Nuri Katz, founder of investment firm Apex Capital, heads for the customs gate, he gets to decide which of his three passports to use - a privilege...