Today in Russian Business – Jan 11, 2010

A group of Russian oligarchs, including Sergey Popov and Andrey Melnichenko of Russia’s biggest coal-producer Suek and Vladimir Potanin of ProfMedia are preparing for listings on the London stock market, reports the FT.  Alexander Lebedev has affirmed that, despite reports to the contrary, he has paid the December wages of the staff of German airline Blue Wings of which he owns 48%.  RFE/RL wonders why charges by the Russian authorities against Ingush oligarch and Russneft founder Mikhail Gutseriyev have been dropped; the result of hopes that he will inject some much-needed investment into his homeland’s ailing economy?  The Telegraph has a look at the murky details of Boris Berezovsky’s suit against a woman called Olga Safonova.  Alfa Group’s telecoms section Altimo will partake in the bid for a controlling interest in Zambia’s fixed-line phone company Zamtel.  Aeroflot may procure the aviation assets of Russian Technologies Corp., terminating a government project to establish another national airline.  According to Bloomberg, Renaissance Capital suggests that Russia’s economy will probably expand an annual 6.7% in the first quarter of 2010.