Today in Russian Business – Jan 24, 2012

Bloomberg reports on markets continuing to be spooked by the possibility of popular unrest in advance of the presidential elections.  Property developer PIK Group has high hopes for revenue this year after a buoyant fourth quarter.  Prime Minister Putin has pledged that Russia will spend $120 billion on restructuring the coal industry through 2030.  The speaker of the Federation Council, Valentina Matviyenko, has linked corruption, which she views as ‘a serious threat to viability of the state’ with the nation’s spiritual turpitude.  The marketing director of a subsidiary of Russia’s state-controlled nuclear corporation Rosatom has been dismissed after using public funds to celebrate New Year’s Eve.  The co-founder of the supermarket chain that became X5 Retail Group is setting up 400 discount supermarkets in southern Florida in a $500 million project.  Troika Dialog has completed its merger with Sberbank; the Moscow Times looks back on the financial services brand.