Today in Russian Business – Dec 28, 2010

According to Bloomberg, General Electric Co. has agreed to form joint ventures with state-controlled Inter RAO UES and Russian Technologies Corp. to build and sell health care and energy equipment in Russia.  The world’s largest nickel and palladium miner, Norilsk Nickel, has said that RUSAL shareholders Mikhail Prokhorov and Viktor Vekselberg support its offer to buy the aluminium giant’s Norilsk stake, lending weight to the $12 billion bid, and may apparently raise its offer if pushed.  System Capital Management Group, owned by Ukraine’s richest man, Rinat Akhmetov, has purchased the Ukrainian unit of Russia’s Renaissance Credit Group to aid it in expansion.  Russia’s decision to buy two Mistral class helicopter carriers to the tune of $1.3 billion has been met with joy in France, but with trepidation on the part of small ex-Soviet states, says the Moscow Times.