TODAY: Medvedev wants 5% yearly growth, ministers suggest it isn’t possible; Maria Alyokhina loses appeal; Pussy Riot priest loses post; Ryabykh detained in fraud case; Konovalov’s opposition to NGO law; court overstated Khodorkovsky laundering figures; U.S. court fines Russia over Jewish books.

Prime Minister Dmitry Medvedev pressed the Cabinet to ensure ‘sustainable economic growth of at least 5 percent’ per year in coming years, a level of growth not seen since 2008; the Deputy Economic Minister said that 4% growth could be possible with ‘serious changes’.  Prior to Medvedev’s call, Central Bank chairman Alexei Ulyukayev made contradictory remarks, stating that ‘economic growth roughly matches its potential’.  Ulyukayev also said that capital outflows of $10 billion every quarter are ‘acceptable‘ and to be expected when the bank isn’t buying currency.  Jailed Pussy Riot member Maria Alyokhina lost her appeal yesterday to be released and have her sentence deferred so she could care for her young son.  ‘I would be very tempted to mention Gogol, Kafka and Orwell at this moment,’ she said, in response to the reprimands she has received since being imprisoned.  Dmitry Sverdlov, a Moscow priest who supported Pussy Riot, has been suspended from service for five years, after his earlier request to be relieved of his post for ‘chronic fatigue’ was refused.  State-owned Inter RAO has fired Marat Davletbayev, a midlevel executive, for participating in opposition party politics outside of office hours.  Nikolai Ryabykh, the acting head of the Defense Ministry’s logistics department, has been detained as part of the Investigative Committee’s ongoing Oboronservis fraud case, in which former Defense Minister Anatoly Serdyukov is now a witness.