Today in Russian Business – September 17, 2010

Deputy Finance Minister Anton Siluanov has pledged that the Kremlin will stand by Russia’s 460 monotowns, despite analysts warning that they are burdensome millstones around the neck of the country’s economy.  According to the WSJ, the irregularities acknowledged by the Prosecutor General’s office, in the much-disputed annual general meeting of shareholders of Norilsk Nickel, were not in fact illegal or criminal.  Facebook investor Digital Sky Technologies has changed its name to Mail.ru Group to ‘better reflect the operational nature of the business going forward’.  A building association chief has predicted a bumper year for the construction of roads, bridges and tunnels, suggesting that the market may grow at least 4% to $23.5 billion, though there are no foreign contractors present due to off-putting bureaucratic hurdles.  Boeing Co. will to sign an agreement today to deliver 50 of its 737 airliner models to Russian Technologies Corp. with an option to sell 35 more, Bloomberg reports.