Today in Russian Business – Oct 20, 2010

Is Sergei Sobyanin going to pave the way in the privatization of state assets?  Selling off state assets could cost Moscow in budget revenue, but the cash could offset some of the losses, says Bloomberg.  United Russia is the only Duma party that approves the draft of next year’s budget.  This year’s budget, meanwhile, includes plenty of domestic borrowing (to the tune of $39.76 billion).  ‘[R]ecord-low yields for Prime Minister Vladimir Putin’s government have further to fall.‘  Interros Holding has ended a cooperation agreement with RusAl over what it calls ‘destructive actions‘ toward Norilsk Nickel; a new board of directors for the latter is to be determined tomorrow.  Russia could cease importing poultry altogether as of next year, Putin suggested, with a nod to persistent concerns over sanitary conditions.  A Moscow court has ruled that  Hermitage Capital will not regain control over the three of its subsidiaries that were seized by Moscow police (and which lawyer Sergei Magnitsky suspected were related to the theft of government money) in 2007.