Today in Russian Business – September 20, 2010

The Sochi investment forum, led by an apparently optimistic Vladimir Putin, saw investors from the United Arab Emirates pledge to spend $800 million in deals.  A total of 88 contracts at the sum of 218.5 billion rubles were signed during the summit.  The Prime Minister reportedly regaled attendees with talk of a thriving economy in his keynote address, in notable contrast, Charles Clover points out, to Medvedev’s cautious, even pessimistic tone at the recent Yaroslavl summit.  Sponsors of the Lake Seliger youth camp, Intel and Daimler, have expressed dismay over antics at the summer event which saw likenesses of former U.S. Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice and other Kremlin-hostile figures impaled on stakes; the companies have threatened to withdraw funds.  Reuters looks at how Oleg Deripaska’s ability to weather a storm has drawn praise even from Norilsk Nickel rival Vladimir Potanin.   Despite the boardroom dispute rumbling in the background, Norilsk Nickel investors should be pleased with the company’s first-half earnings, says chief executive Vladimir Strzhalkovsky.