Today in Russian Business – Aug 23, 2011

Alcohol abuse in Russia might be curtailed if the country had a stronger winemaking industry, says Dmitry Medvedev.  Over the past two months of European debt crisis, Russians have been turning to real estate as a safe haven for investment as confidence in the market, particularly in Moscow, increases.  Russia’s main economic risk factors are ‘internal rather than external’, says Vladislav Inozemtsev.  Sberbank is eyeing potential takeover targets in Poland.  Orbital Technologies is apparently planning to build a hotel in space, with a projected cost of $1 million for a five-day visit, to launch in 2016. ‘Space tourism is a real and fast-growing business.’