Today in Russian Business

Renault, the world’s fourth-largest carmaker, will share its technological expertise with Russia’s Avtovaz when it completes its purchase of a 25% stake in the “troubled carmaker”. Norcross, an arm of Russia’s Kapital Insurance Group, has taken a 49% stake in Ateshgah Insurance, a joint venture between Azerbaijan and Russia. Russia’s agricultural watchdog, RosSelkhozNadzor, says Moscow is ready to lift its ban on a number of Indian agriculture imports, including tobacco. Yevgeny Chivilikhin, co-founder of the Timiryazevsky trade center and prominent businessman, was killed in Moscow last night in what investigators believe was a contract killing. Rostelecom will reduce charges for long-distance calls in an effort to expand its client base. Société Générale has reportedly alerted the French authorities to a case of suspected money-laundering involving two Russian businessmen. The Federal Customs Service‘s $22.5 billion money-laundering lawsuit against the Bank of New York Mellon ran into trouble after the bank’s lawyer accused customs service representatives of using a falsified document in the case.