Year: 2008

December 10, 2008

Today in Russian Business – Dec 10th, 2008

Economic growth is at its lowest rate for three years, and many expect next year’s growth to be even lower.  Magnitogorsk Iron & Steel Works and Oskol Electric Steel Works are under investigation by the Federal Anti-Monopoly Service...
December 10, 2008

RA’s Daily Russia News Blast – Dec 10th, 2008

TODAY: Responses to Belykh’s government posting; Duma deputy could be stripped of immunity; Lavrov warns against ‘meddling’, praises ties with EU; Argentine President in Moscow; Yulia Latynina on ‘Putinomics’.Foreign ...
December 9, 2008

Vedomosti: Novocherkassk-2009

The following is an exclusive translation from Vedomosti about the oncoming crisis of unemployment in Russia, for which the author subsequently got in a lot trouble for having published. Scenario: Novocherkassk-2009 Yevgeny Gontmacher 06.11.2008, ...
December 9, 2008

Grigory Pasko: The Economic Extremists

I recently wrote an article in which I attempted to systematize all the different kinds of «enemies of the people» that exist in modern-day Russia. Just two weeks later, it turned out that the list is outdated – yet another category of peopl...
December 9, 2008

Obama’s Strobe Talbott Problem

Fredo Arias-King, whose work on Russia we hold in high regard, recently had an interesting comment piece (part of the NRO Symposium we linked to yesterday) pointing out the potentially problematic revival of Strobe Talbott’s diplomatic caree...
December 9, 2008

Energy Blast – Dec 9th, 2008

Gazprom says its offshore Shtokman natural gas project will only remain economically viable if oil prices stay at levels of at least $50 a barrel.  ‘This is realistic. The era of cheap oil and gas is over.‘  Gazprom Neft is c...
December 9, 2008

Today in Russian Business – Dec 9th, 2008

S&P’s downgrading of Russia yesterday was the country’s first in a decade and reflects the likelihood of a further downgrade.  The Bank of Moscow has asked Vneshekonombank for more than $1 billion in loans to help repay foreig...
December 9, 2008

RA’s Daily Russia News Blast – Dec 9th, 2008

TODAY: Funeral for Patriarch Alexei II held today in Moscow – video; Solidarity member to step down after receiving government post; Transparency International bribe survey; Aleksanyan case not a sign of a shift in government stance; nanoman...
December 8, 2008

A Rare Moment in Basmanny Justice

A number of journalists have been calling me today about the release on bail (for 50 million rubles, mind you) of former Yukos general counsel Vasily Alexanyan.  Although I’m unreservedly pleased for Vasily and his family, I think we st...
December 8, 2008

Donald Tusk on Russia

In his interview with the Financial Times, Poland’s soft spoken Prime Minister Donald Tusk discusses the difficulties he has faced in improving ties with Russia, and the nature of the challenge posed by Moscow, insisting that he holds no ant...