Today in Russian Business – May 26, 2008

By Citizen M | Published: May 26, 2008

President Dmitry Medvedev signed a $1 billion deal to supply a uranium-enrichment plant in China during his visit to the country. Private equity fund Pallinghurst Resources is seeking a deal for its Faberge luxury goods brand to use gems from state diamond producer Alrosa. London-listed Russian miner Aricom plans to raise more than $1 billion […]

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RA’s Daily Russia News Blast – May 26, 2008

By Citizen M | Published:

TODAY: Medvedev signs joint statement with China denouncing US missile shield, convenes new Security Council, establishes “Order of Parental Honour”. Poland stokes tensions with Russia; British commentator angry over Russia’s Eurovision win. Putin to head Judo Federation. Whilst in China last week, President Dmitry Medvedev signed a joint statement denouncing US plans to build a […]

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Congratulations, Russia!

By James Kimer | Published: May 25, 2008

Russia has been declared champion of the 2008 Eurovision Song Contest, with the artist Dima Bilan beating out the stiff competition in a globally televised event of perplexingly enormous national pride. To me, it’s all pretty strange (don’t get me started on my opinion of many of these songs), but it’s nice to see Russia […]

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Medvedev on the Defensive

By James Kimer | Published: May 24, 2008

Dmitry Medvedev struck a defensive tone during his Saturday press briefings in Beijing: ”Some don’t like such strategic cooperation between our countries, but we understand that this cooperation serves the interests of our people, and we will strengthen it, regardless of whether others like it or not,” the Russian leader said. ”Russian-Chinese relations are one […]

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Russia’s Energy Bluff with China

By James Kimer | Published: May 23, 2008

Yesterday Bob blogged about the challenges faced by Russia and China in building a strategic energy partnership. Today Kommersant has more details, including a revelation that although China was Rosneft’s biggest oil importer in 2007, the company loses $40 on each ton sent to China rather than the west. At least Moscow and Beijing can […]

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Putin and the Accident of Private Life

By James Kimer | Published:

Viktor Erofeyev has an interesting column running in the International Herald Tribune today about the unsaid, accidental theme of Putin’s presidency: the rise of private life. Let the good times roll, for Russia’s sake By Viktor Erofeyev In a recent interview, Russia’s chief Communist, Gennadi Zyuganov, called the new president, Dmitry Medvedev, a liberal who, […]

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Grigory Pasko: Looking a gift horse in the mouth, Part 5

By Grigory Pasko | Published:

[See Part 1, Part 2, Part 3, and Part 4 of this series.] Nord Stream, Scandinavian Style Beware of Greeks bearing gifts Part 5 Grigory Pasko, journalist After it had become known about the contracts signed between Nord Stream and archaeologists, as well as between Nord Stream and the administration of the port of Slite, […]

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Indiana Jones Infuriates Russia’s Communists

By James Kimer | Published:

The summer film season has officially kicked off, as the latest offering in the adored Indiana Jones film series opened to record-setting audiences across the globe on Thursday, including on more than 800 screens in Russia. However not everyone is so enamored of how the Russians are portrayed in the film – in fact, some […]

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Gazprom’s Foray into Southeast Asia

By James Kimer | Published:

Today Reuters is reporting that Gazprom has signed a deal with Vietnam’s state-owned energy company, Petrovietnam, to explore four new offshore fields. Gazprom says that their joint venture company VietGazprom, which has been exploring a Vietnamese offshore deposit since 2000, will operate the new fields. This is just the latest example in a long string […]

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Energy Blast – May 23, 2008

By Citizen M | Published:

BP may have to repay its Russian venture, TNK-BP, more than $400 million after Tetlis, a minority shareholder, sued in Siberia to annul an employment contract between the two oil producers. Relations between BP and its partner in the venture “appear to be worsening amid a warning from the operation’s chief executive that recent legal […]

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