Today in Russian Business – Nov 8, 2010

Alexander Lebedev talks to the Telegraph about the threats he says he has received from the FSB in recent years, as reports emerge that his Ukrainian hotel was raided over the weekend.  ‘[T]here is an undeniable pressure on independent media owners and workers within Russia,‘ notes the Guardian.  Russian Railways subsidiary TransContainer begins trading in London and Moscow this week.  Bloomberg reports on the Renault-Nissan alliance’s efforts to take control of AvtoVAZ, calling it ‘their last-chance saloon for getting into emerging markets in a meaningful fashion‘.  The need for massive transport investment in Russia ($1 trillion over the next decade) is driving a new market for infrastructure bonds, says Bloomberg.  Oleg Deripaska is to buy back a 17% stake in Austrian builder Strabag for $524 million.  The World Bank’s Doing Business report ranks Russia a few places lower than last year, because ‘neighboring countries are reforming faster‘.  Western companies ‘play a leading role‘ in promoting ecological consciousness in Russian business, says this report.