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Basic Political Developments Presidents to discuss CIS structures' work - The presidents of CIS member states

will hold an informal summit in Moscow on Dec. 20 to sum up the interim results of CIS executive bodies' work, Commonwealth Executive Committee Chairman and Executive Secretary Sergei Lebedev said.

Euro.cz: Russian president may visit Prague on December 7-8 - Russian President Dmitry Medvedev will probably visit Prague on December 7-8, Euro.cz server has reported referring to unofficial sources and another source has also confirmed the date for CTK, but the Czech Presidential Office would not speak about the date as yet.

Russia says new US sanctions on Iran unacceptable - Russian Foreign Ministry says US on Tehran's financial systems "contradictory to international law; US president says Washington will continue to look for ways to pressure Tehran over its nuclear program.

o Comment by Russian MFA Spokesman Alexander K. Lukashevich on new unilateral U.S. sanctions against Iran

Russian companies unaffected by US sanctions against Iran - Russian companies have been unaffected by the new sanctions that the United States has slapped on Iran, says the official spokesman for the US Department of the Treasury in a telephone news briefing.

o Sanctions useless against Iran? - The Russian deputy foreign minister said that recent events resemble an attempt to bring about regime change. And according to Eland, that is what the West really wants, though it is not going to work.

Putin wants to strengthen Russian-Polish relations - Vladimir Putin has congratulated Prime Minister Donald Tusk following the formation of a new coalition government in Warsaw last week.

Will Russia pay Poland for Katyn? - Russia is preparing legislation which would rehabilitate the victims of the Katyn case of World War II. However, Russia’s latest attempt to distance itself from Stalin’s legacy will not resolve the contradictions in its relations with Poland. 

Russian FM in Chisinau to discuss effective cooperation in the CISo Moldova Anticipates 'More Intense Dialogue' With Russia Over

Transdniester Price of Russian natural gas to go dn almost 50 pcnt for Belarus - Price of Russian

natural gas will go down almost 50% for Belarus next year and will be tied up to Russia’s domestic prices as of 2013, the Moscow-based daily Vedomosti said Tuesday quoting its own well-informed sources.

Tajikistan releases Russian pilotso Russian, Estonian pilots released in Tajikistan - TV

Astana hosts discussion on legal status of Caspian Sea - The 30th meeting of the Special Working Group for developing the Convention on the Legal Status of the Caspian Sea started Tuesday in Astana, the press service of Kazakh Foreign

Ministry said.Pacific Fleet warships convoying merchant ships in Gulf of Aden

Two-way trade with Russia to double within four years - Viet Nam and Russia have agreed to double two-way trade to US$5 billion by 2015 thanks to significant steps in development of bilateral relations, which was lifted to a strategic partnership 10 years ago.

o UPDATE: Vietnam Signs Deal With Russia For $8 Bln Loan For Nuclear Plant

[Macedonian] Minister Janakieski to sign railway cooperation agreement with Russia - The agreement promotes competitive international railway traffic through minimum interventions by the state, thus giving passengers with a greater choice of services, along with stimulation of countries' railway transporters to establish innovative and competitive prices of services, but also providing a higher degree of safety and security of railway traffic.

Russia to resume importing meat from Mongolia Russian air-space defence to intercept all missiles – DM Military police will appear in Russia in 2012 Russian Navy to receive 10 diesel submarines by 2020 Space station crew land safely in Kazakhstan Russia is resigned to losing Mars moon probe

o Almost no chance left for Phobos-Grunt mission – Russia`s space agency Missile Strike Unlikely Against Wayward Russian Mars Probe - Russia probably

isn’t capable of shooting down a wayward spacecraft with tons of toxic chemicals inside that may soon crash to Earth, U.S. space engineers said.

Opposition plans to hold election day rally on Triumfalnaya Square About 250 international observers already accredited to monitor Duma elections ODIHR experts will not risk sharing fate of PACE delegation Dmitry Medvedev: "The slogan "We must stop feeding the Caucasus" is not fair,

not right, and dangerous" For Russia's President, Calls For Violence On Line Not Protected Speech Medvedev proposes punishment for calls for violence on internet Russian patriarch awarded Order of Sheikh ul-Islam Patriarch Kirill to hold some meetings in the Moscow Kremlin - "The chambers

are given to the Patriarch of Moscow and All Russia for use by President of the Russian Federation Dmitry Medvedev and after restoration works are resumed they will be used for conducting official events with the Primate of the Russian Church, talks, receptions," the patriarchal press service reports.Rub 3,7 bln spent on Vladivostok facades renovation for APEC 2012

Putin party man beaten to death - Innokenti Buchin, a candidate for the town of Tikhvin in St. Petersburg's Leningrad region, was attacked in the home of a 39-year-old entrepreneur whose name was not revealed.

Russian Press at a Glance, Tuesday, November 22, 2011 A Russian epic for the box office, not a court in England - Week after week the

case has opened a fascinating window on to the lives of the post-Soviet oligarchy, in particular that time when men of great drive and limited scruple garnered vast business empires as Russia was beset by rampant lawlessness.

Filthy lucre: Afghan drug profits too juicy to resist - “Metaphorically speaking, instead of destroying the machine-gun nest, they suggest catching bullets flying from the machine-gun,” Ivanov explains. “We suggest eradicating the narcotic plants altogether. As long as there are opium poppy fields, there will be trafficking."

Why are Russians excellent cybercriminals? - by Mark Galeotti Russia joins forces with France and Vietnam - Russian and French leaders have

signed a wide-ranging declaration on nuclear energy cooperation as Russia's first foreign-equity nuclear power plant advances with a construction licence. Meanwhile, Russia also signed a credit agreement for another nuclear power plant in Vietnam.

National Economic Trends Banks have 668.8 bln rbs on CBR correspondent accounts on November 22. Russia Needs 0.5% Rate Cut to Protect Economy, Renaissance Says Russia to slash apple, pear import duties after joining WTO

Business, Energy or Environmental regulations or discussions Russia Stocks Rise First Day in Five After U.S. Rating Affirmed Bill on organized trade signed into law Kola GMK could finance Norilsk Nickel buyback with part of RUB 61 billion

loan MMK mulls Flinders Mines acquisition, raising $100 mln loan (Part 2)

o MMK mulls $100m loan o Russia's MMK mulls bid for Australia's Flinders

Vozrozhdeniye Q3 net profit 411 mln rbls, below fcasto Russian bank Vozrozhdenie says Kogan wants control

Rostelecom to kick off stock option plan Alfa Bank President Aven Doubles His Stake in CTC Media, Vedomosti Reports Russia Acron 9M profit up on high fertiliser demand

Activity in the Oil and Gas sector (including regulatory) Companies aim to raise quality of oil products TNK-BP Vietnamese subsidary will invest $ 400 million in the county's wells Rosneft Issues Tender to Sell 540,000 Tons of CPC Blend Oil Alliance Oil sees IFRS earnings plummet 26% in Q3, below forecast (Part 2)

Gazprom Alexander Ananenkov and Kim Yong Jae discuss prospects for cooperation

in energy sector between Russia and North Korea UPDATE 1-Gazprom sees lower Q1 Europe consumer gas prices The Shtokman Field - Russia’s Gazprom owns 51% of the shares of the project,

the French concern Total 25% and the Norwegian Statoil 24%. The three giants plan to implement the most advanced technologies in all phases of the project as well as guaranteeing security and the efficient management of all operations related to the field.

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Full Text Articles

Basic Political Developments

Presidents to discuss CIS structures' workToday at 10:51 | Interfax-Ukraine MOSCOW - The presidents of CIS member states will hold an informal summit in Moscow on Dec. 20 to sum up the interim results of CIS executive bodies' work, Commonwealth Executive Committee Chairman and Executive Secretary Sergei Lebedev said.

"Russian President Dmitry Medvedev has invited his counterparts to an informal summit to look back at what has been done by the executive structures of the Commonwealth in the past 20 years, as well as to outline prospects for the future," Lebedev said at a meeting of the highest-ranking officials of the CIS, the Collective Security Treaty Organization (CSTO), the Eurasian Economic Community (EurAsEC) and the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) on Tuesday.

"The general vector of integration development within the CSTO format has been positive in 2011," including in the energy sector, transport and communication, he said.

"The main task of our meeting today is to improve the quality of work of our organizations' executive structures," Lebedev said.

Read more: http://www.kyivpost.com/news/russia/detail/117371/#ixzz1eQLGf61x

Euro.cz: Russian president may visit Prague on December 7-8http://praguemonitor.com/2011/11/22/eurocz-russian-president-may-visit-prague-december-7-8

ČTK | 22 November 2011

Prague, Nov 21 (CTK) - Russian President Dmitry Medvedev will probably visit Prague on December 7-8, Euro.cz server has reported referring to unofficial sources and another source has also confirmed the date for CTK, but the Czech Presidential Office would not speak about the date as yet.

Moscow confirmed in October that Medvedev will go to Prague in December.

According to previous information, Medvedev is to attend the inauguration of an exhibition of unique items from the collections of Moscow's Kremlin. It is to feature 132 artifacts illustrating life in Russia in the 16th and 17th centuries.

The exhibition is to open on December 9 and last until March 4, 2012, according to previous information.

Medvedev has been invited to the Czech Republic by President Vaclav Klaus.

Klaus met Medvedev in Prague last year when he hosted a Russia-United States summit.

Medvedev and U.S. President Barack Obama signed a new U.S.-Russian nuclear arms reduction treaty.

During his visit to Prague, Medvedev is expected to discuss, for instance, a tender for the completion of the nuclear power plant in Temelin, south Bohemia, in which Russian Atomstroyexport is interested. It competes with the U.S. Westinghouse and the French Areva.

Copyright 2011 by the Czech News Agency (ČTK). All rights reserved.Copying, dissemination or other publication of this article or parts thereof without the prior written consent of ČTK is expressly forbidden. The Prague Daily Monitor and Monitor CE are not responsible for its content.

Russia says new US sanctions on Iran unacceptable http://www.jpost.com/IranianThreat/News/Article.aspx?id=246512

By REUTERS AND REBECCA ANNA STOIL, JPOST CORRESPON 11/22/2011 08:38

Russian Foreign Ministry says US on Tehran's financial systems "contradictory to international law; US president says Washington will continue to look for ways to pressure Tehran over its nuclear program.     Russia's Foreign Ministry denounced new US sanctions against Iran on Tuesday as "unacceptable and contradictory to international law," Interfax news agency reported.

The United States, worried by Tehran's nuclear program, named Iran on Monday as an area of "primary money laundering concern" in a step designed to dissuade non-US banks from dealing with it.

t also blacklisted 11 entities suspected of aiding its nuclear programs and expanded sanctions to target companies that aid its oil and petrochemical industries.

US President Barack Obama said Monday that the United States had identified "the entire Iranian banking sector -- including the Central Bank of Iran -- as a threat to governments or financial institutions that do business with Iranian banks."

Obama said Washington would continue to look for ways to pressure Tehran over its nuclear program.

"As long as Iran continues down this dangerous path, the United States will continue to find ways, both in concert with our partners and through our own actions to isolate and increase the pressure upon the Iranian regime," he said.

US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton and Treasury Secretary Tim Geithner made an official announcement on Monday afternoon detailing the series of new sanctions against Tehran, focusing on Iran’s money-raising activities.

Geithner declared the Central Bank of Iran to be a “primary money laundering concern,” a step short of official sanctions that would require the United States to cut off access to any foreign institution that does business with the bank. That more drastic step would have presented serious problems for US business if states such as China and Russia fail, as they are expected, to cut off ties with Tehran. The new category would simply worn off foreign governments and companies from dealing with Iranian institutions.

Clinton phoned Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu Monday evening to brief him on the sanctions the US decided to level against Iran.

The United Kingdom started off the trans-Atlantic sanctions announcements earlier Monday when the British government announced their decision to terminate all dealings with the Central Bank of Iran, a decision that covers all Iranian banks, branches and subsidiaries.

“This measure will protect the UK financial sector from being unknowingly used by Iranian banks for proliferation related transactions,” said George Osborne, Britain’s treasury chief.

Iran’s nuclear activities “pose a significant risk to the national interests of the UK and countries across the region.”

Since the November 8 publication of the IAEA’s report on Iran, the US has been pushing for international cooperation in policing Tehran’s nuclear production initiatives. Last week’s meeting of the nuclear watchdog organization’s board of governors yielded a statement calling on Iran to open itself to inspectors, but stopped short of major international steps against Tehran’s march toward nuclear armament.

Iranian representatives were conspicuously absent from a two-day meeting in Vienna held to discuss nuclear non-proliferation in the Middle East. In the shadow of the recent report slamming Iran’s nuclear aspirations, the IAEA hosted representatives of a number of Middle Eastern states, including Israel, for a discussion on creating a nuclear-weapon-free zone in the area.

There are already nuclearweapon- free zones in South America, Africa, the south Pacific and parts of Asia.

In addition to the nuclear faceoff and the terror plot targeting the Saudi ambassador to Washington, it looked Monday that there was yet another factor in Washington’s growing tensions with Iran.

The Washington Post revealed Monday that Iran was suspected of having provided former Libyan leader Muammar Gaddafi with hundreds of artillery shells filled with “highly toxic mustard agent.” These shells, discovered in recent sweeps of Libya by anti-Gaddafi forces, were beyond the purview of the minimal amounts of chemical agents that the US knew that Gaddafi held.

The Washington Post article quoted a senior US official as saying that the US “was pretty sure” that the shells were custom- designed and produced in Iran for Libya.

Washington is also concerned that more than a dozen undercover agents working for the CIA who were caught in both Iran and Lebanon will be or already have been executed, ABC News quoted US officials as saying on Monday.

According to the report, the agents were paid informants, hired by the CIA to spy on Iran and Hezbollah in Lebanon.

“Many risks lead to wins, but some result in occasional setbacks,” ABC quoted an official as saying. The arrests occurred over the past six months, he added.

The officials gave credit to Iran and Hezbollah for uncovering the two espionage rings, but say sloppy CIA “tradecraft” was also partly to blame for the discovery of the networks.

“We were lazy and the CIA is now flying blind against Hezbollah,” a former official was quoted as saying.

Herb Keinon and Jerusalem Post staff contributed to this report.

http://www.mid.ru/brp_4.nsf/0/F7D9F6C5F926BDE3442579500020E06F

GOOGLE TRANSLATION

Comment by Russian MFA Spokesman Alexander K. Lukashevich on new unilateral U.S. sanctions against Iran1826-22-11-2011In connection with the decision of the U.S. administration to toughen existing unilateral sanctions against Iran, which affect companies from third countries to cooperate in oil and petroleum sector, as well as Iran's banking sector, re-emphasize that the Russian Federation considers such extraterritorial measures as unacceptable and contrary to international law.This practice, as the development of the situation surrounding the Iranian nuclear program, seriously complicates the way to a constructive dialogue with Tehran. Strengthening of the sanctions pressure, which for some of our partners is almost an end in itself, will not enhance the readiness of Iran to the negotiating table. We believe that the constant increase of sanctions has long gone beyond the solution of non-proliferation objectives in the context of Iran's nuclear program.November 22, 2011

Russian companies unaffected by US sanctions against Iran http://english.ruvr.ru/2011/11/22/60805022.html

Nov 22, 2011 10:52 Moscow Time

Russian companies have been unaffected by the new sanctions that the United States has slapped on Iran, says the official spokesman for the US Department of the Treasury in a telephone news briefing.

Yesterday, the US Administration imposed sanctions on 11 companies and individuals that are related to Iran’s petrochemical sector.

The State Department has specifically slapped sanctions against the concerns Soureh, Nour-Afzar Gostar, Fullman-Group and Yasa-Part.

They are suspected of contributing to the development of Iran’s nuclear programme and ballistic missile production.

(TASS)

Sanctions useless against Iran?http://rt.com/news/iran-usa-uk-israel-889/

Published: 22 November, 2011, 08:35Edited: 22 November, 2011, 08:38

The West continues to increase pressure on Tehran over its suspected nuclear program. But will the latest set of sanctions help it reach its goals? Some experts believe the measures will only fuel nationalistic feelings in Iran and boost the regime.

Ivan Eland, an expert on political economics from the Independent Institute told RT the sanctions being pushed on Iran are a blunt tool and will probably hurt the Iranian people.

“When you bomb a country, it unifies the population with the government, even if they don’t like the government. In this case we are not bombing yet, but we are attacking them economically. It actually helps the regime because a lot of the people in Iran, especially the young, don’t really like the regime,” he stated.

The Russian deputy foreign minister said that recent events resemble an attempt to bring about regime change. And according to Eland, that is what the West really wants, though it is not going to work.

“Sanctions rarely work. Even in the case of South Africa, where regime change occurred and sanctions were used, people associated the two, but in reality most revolutions happen internally, not from external sources,” he explained.

David Lindorff, founder of the news blog "This Can't Be Happening", believes that pressure coming from the US and Israel could merely encourage Tehran to obtain nuclear weapons.

“If you really want a country to get nuclear weapon then just keep threatening it with attack. Sooner or later they will do that because that’s the best defense they have against an attack.”

Lindorff believes the sanctions will have a negative impact on the US goal of trying to drive a wedge between the people and the government.

“If you look at Cuba, it’s probably the sanctions that have helped to keep the regime in power for all these years because people get so angry at those sanctions and see them as a threat.”

Putin wants to strengthen Russian-Polish relationshttp://www.thenews.pl/1/10/Artykul/58930,Putin-wants-to-strengthen-RussianPolish-relations

22.11.2011 08:34

Vladimir Putin has congratulated Prime Minister Donald Tusk following the formation of a new coalition government in Warsaw last week.

The brief statement on the Russian Federation government's web site says: "I would like to confirm our readiness to continue working with you and your government to strengthen Russian-Polish relations and boost constructive business cooperation in various fields.

“This is certainly in the interests of our countries' citizens and will contribute to mutual understanding in Europe," PM Putin continues.

It was announced earlier this autumn that Putin would run for a third term as president of Russia next March and the incumbent, Dimtry Medvedev would again take up the post of prime minister.

Observers have noted an improvement in Polish-Russian relations during the last four years of Tusk's first term in office.

Meanwhile, last week Polish authorities released a Russian 'sleeper agent' from prison after he served just one year of a three-year sentence.

Tadeusz Juchniewocz, a Russian citizen who had been living in Poland for ten years, was arrested in 2009 after coding devices were found at his home. (pg)

Will Russia pay Poland for Katyn?http://rt.com/politics/press/trud/russia-poland-katyn-tragedy/en/

Published: 22 November, 2011, 10:49Edited: 22 November, 2011, 11:01

Zhanna Ulyanova

Russia is preparing legislation which would rehabilitate the victims of the Katyn case of World War II. However, Russia’s latest attempt to distance itself from Stalin’s legacy will not resolve the contradictions in its relations with Poland. 

The case – “Yanovets and others vs. Russia” – is currently being heard in the European Court of Human Rights (ECHR). The plaintiffs, who are the descendants of 1,803 Polish officers who were shot and killed in April-May 1940, are demanding the posthumous rehabilitation of their relatives.

Yesterday, they seemed a step closer to satisfying their claims. Interfax cited a source as saying that Russia is preparing a number of legislative changes which would allow a legal review of the Katyn case. The source explained: “The political decision has been made. It’s up to the lawyers.”  That is understating the case. After all, the Russian leadership has already several times apologized for “the excesses of the Stalin regime.” In 2010, Vladimir Putin publicly stated that the Katyn tragedy was “Stalin’s personal revenge.” A number of historians adhere to the theory that Joseph Vissarionovich took revenge on the Poles for the unsuccessful Warsaw battle in 1920, in which 60,000 Red Army soldiers were captured. Subsequently, many of them died. “This is just one of the reasons behind the mass murder of the Poles. The years of anti-Polish propaganda could just as well have served as a reason for the 1930s massacre of the Polish diaspora in Leningrad,” political scientist, Valery Ostrovsky, explained to Trud.     KGB Chairman Aleksandr Shelepin’s note, which was declassified in the 1990s, confirms the execution of 22,000 Poles as part of an NKVD operation ordered by the Central Committee of the Communist Party on March 5, 1940.  In November of 2010, the State Duma officially recognized that the Katyn tragedy was the work of Stalin. Since the beginning of 2010, Russia has gradually been lifting the “secret” label from those documents. So far, 148 of the 183 files have been declassified and transferred to Poland. Poland, however, is not satisfied with the pace of progress.  But how can we expect any urgency when the Russian leadership has been trying to eliminate the Katyn question for 20 years? This is even more true today, as Russia remains divided between the appreciators and the critics of Stalin’s “merits”.    “Legal rehabilitation will complement the political statements; but if compensation is demanded, there will be difficulties,” Human Rights Commissioner Vladimir Lukin told Trud. “The question is – who is rehabilitating whom? Polish officers became victims of the communist leadership, but Russia was not the only part of the USSR.”The Poles do not seem to be insisting on compensation. For them, the main thing is that legal rehabilitation will make it possible to expedite the declassification process. “There is a high probability that the classified documents have the names of those who participated in the executions. The Poles could demand a trial of the former NKVD officers, or file a lawsuit against their relatives,” says deputy director of the Center for Political Technologies, Aleksey Makarkin.  In recent years, Russia has been desperately trying to distance itself from Stalin’s legacy and to assess its own history, though not many have noticed this. According to Aleksey Makarkin, another attempt to repent for the killing of their ancestors will not thaw Russian-Polish relations to any degree.        Meanwhile, the act of granting legal status to the Katyn victims could open a door to claims not for moral, but for financial compensation. And even if, today, the Poles are saying they are not looking for money, there are no guarantees that in five to seven years they will not say otherwise.

GOOGLE TRANSLATIONhttp://www.ria.ru/politics/20111122/494518634.htmlRussian FM in Chisinau to discuss effective cooperation in the CIS22/11/2011 00:20MOSCOW, November 22 - RIA Novosti. Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov during a working visit to Moldova, which will be held on Tuesday to discuss ways of improving cooperation within the CIS, including in light of the October of this year agreement on free trade zone of the Commonwealth, said the Foreign Ministry.The Foreign Ministry said that Lavrov's visit is timed to the tenth anniversary of the signing of the Treaty of Friendship and Cooperation between Russia and Moldova on November 19, 2001.

Program of the visit to Chisinau to meet with the interim President, Chairman of the Moldovan Parliament Marian Lupu, Prime Minister Vladimir Filat, leader of main opposition Communist Party, Vladimir Voronin, a wide range of officials and the public. Exchange views on topical issues of bilateral cooperation, "- said in a statement.As pointed out by the Russian Foreign Ministry, a priority in the negotiations will discuss issues of foreign policy cooperation between the two countries….

Moldova Anticipates 'More Intense Dialogue' With Russia Over Transdniester http://www.rferl.org/content/moldova_anticipates_more_intense_dialogue_with_russia_over_transdniester/24397747.html

November 21, 2011 CHISINAU -- Moldovan Foreign Minister Iurie Leanca says Moscow is increasingly open to a "more intense dialogue" with Chisinau over the breakaway region of Transdniester, RFE/RL's Moldovan Service reports.

Leanca told RFE/RL on November 21 that Moldovan officials will ask Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov "legitimate questions" about Russia's relations with "a part of Moldovan territory" during Lavrov's visit to Chisinau on November 22. 

Moldova has repeatedly criticized Russian officials for using the terms "Transdniestrian

Republic" and "presidential campaign" in recent statements about the upcoming Transdniester elections, which Moldova regards as illegitimate.

On October 13, Moscow called on Transdniester's longtime leader, Igor Smirnov, to step down rather than run for a further term.

Smirnov is expected to meet face-to-face on November 20 with Moldovan Prime Minister Vlad Filat in Tighina (Bender) for the second time in two months.

Leanca said that the meeting is to prepare for the resumption next week in Vilnius after a five-year hiatus of the so-called 5+2 international talks on Transdniester.

That format comprises the conflicting sides, Moldova and Transdniester; Russia, Ukraine, and the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe as mediators; and the United States and the European Union as observers.

The Transdniester region declared independence in 1990 and fought a brief war against Moldovan forces two years later. It has de facto sovereignty, but is not recognized by any country.

Read and listen more in Romanian here

04:41 22/11/2011ALL NEWS

Price of Russian natural gas to go dn almost 50 pcnt for Belarus

http://www.itar-tass.com/en/c154/277887.html

MOSCOW, November 22 (Itar-Tass) – Price of Russian natural gas will go down almost 50% for Belarus next year and will be tied up to Russia’s domestic prices as of 2013, the Moscow-based daily Vedomosti said Tuesday quoting its own well-informed sources.

“The price of Russian gas /for Belarus/ is due to go down sharply next year and will be fixed through to the yearend,” the newspaper said. “As of 2013, it will be computed on the basis of a formula taking account of the price in one of Russia’s regions.”

“Documents on this are to be signed at a level of intergovernmental agreements and contracts with Gazprom,” two Russian state officials familiar with the progress of talks on the issue told Vedomosti.

The price for 2012, which is being discussed now, stands at slightly over $ 150 per 1,000 cubic meters in contrast to the current price of $ 300. Gazprom’s averaged forecast for the domestic Russian price for 2011 stands in the neighborhood of $ 99 exclusive of the VAT and $ 106-to-107 for 2012.

“Neither Gazprom’s executives nor representatives of the Russian and Belarussian governments comment on the situation, and the virtually the only thing known officially is that Minsk expects a considerable reduction of prices as of 2012,” Vedomosti said.

Tajikistan releases Russian pilotshttp://en.trend.az/regions/world/russia/1960061.html

22 November 2011, 10:45 (GMT+04:00)

Russian pilot Vladimir Sadovnichy and his Estonian counterpart Alexei Rudenko were released from the courtroom in Tajikistan, "Russia 24" TV channel reported. Tajikistan's Khatlon Province Prosecutor Azim Azimov asked for their release.

On Nov.17, 2011, Tajikistan's Defense Minister Sherali Khairulloyev at the meeting with the Russian Defense Minister Anatoly Serdyukov said that he received instructions from Tajik President Emomali Rahmon to address Sadovnichy and Rudenko's release, RBK reported.

It should be recalled that the relations between Russia and Tajikistan deteriorated after the Court of Tajikistan in November 2011 sentenced Russian and Estonian pilots to 8.5 years in prison, finding them guilty of smuggling, illegal border crossing and violating flight rules. The AN-72 aircrafts with the pilots were confiscated by the Tajik authorities.

Head of Russian Federal service on customers' rights protection and human well-being surveillance Gennady Onishchenko proposed a complete ban on entry of Tajik workers to Russia, explaining it with migrants' high disease incidence.

There are rumors that the Russian government amid a political scandal may introduce a visa regime with Tajikistan. "Fair Russia" Party Faction in Duma sent the relevant request to President Dmitry Medvedev and Prime Minister Vladimir Putin.

Russian, Estonian pilots released in Tajikistan - TV http://en.rian.ru/world/20111122/168925781.html

11:11 22/11/2011

MOSCOW, November 22 (RIA Novosti) -- A court in Tajikistan freed on Tuesday the Russian and Estonian pilots sentenced to eight and a half years in jail for smuggling and border violations, the Vesti 24 television channel said.

Vladimir Sadovnichy and Estonian national Alexei Rudenko were arrested in March and jailed on November 8. Moscow said the charges were "politically motivated.”

Tajik Prosecutor Azim Azimov, who earlier said the sentence was "too harsh," asked the court on Tuesday to reduce the term to two and a half years. However, he also suggested the pilots be released on a December 1 amnesty as they had already spent six months in custody.

Russia has since deported several hundred Tajik migrant workers, but says the move was not connected to the case. Over half of poverty-stricken Tajikistan's GDP is made up of money migrant workers send home from Russia.

Astana hosts discussion on legal status of Caspian Seahttp://en.trend.az/regions/casia/kazakhstan/1960021.html

22 November 2011, 09:29 (GMT+04:00)

Kazakhstan, Astana, 22 Nov. / Trend K.Konirova/

The 30th meeting of the Special Working Group for developing the Convention on the Legal Status of the Caspian Sea started Tuesday in Astana, the press service of Kazakh Foreign Ministry said.

The meeting is held at the level of deputy foreign ministers of the Caspian littoral states. The meeting is closed to the press.

Do you have any feedback? Contact our journalist at agency@trend.az

11:04 22/11/2011ALL NEWS

Pacific Fleet warships convoying merchant ships in Gulf of Aden

http://www.itar-tass.com/en/c154/278064.html

VLADIVOSTOK, November 22 (Itar-Tass) —— The Russian Pacific Fleet warships launched the convoy of four merchant vessels under the flags of various countries in the

Gulf of Aden, where the pirates are rampaging. The big anti-submarine ship Admiral Panteleyev is in the head of the convoy, the press service of the Eastern Military District said on Tuesday.

This is already sixth convoy of the Russian Pacific Fleet, which is participating in an international mission to combat piracy and to ensure security of navigation in the Gulf of Aden.

The big submarine chaser Admiral Panteleyev has already headed the Pacific Fleet convoy in 2009. The convoy was on mission off the coast of Africa. On November 30, the submarine chaser will have a scheduled visit in Djibouti, where she will stay until December 2 in order to replenish her stocks.

Last update 22/11/2011 11:28:00 AM (GMT+7)

Two-way trade with Russia to double within four years http://english.vietnamnet.vn/en/politics/15632/two-way-trade-with-russia-to-double-within-four-years.html

VietNamNet Bridge – Viet Nam and Russia have agreed to double two-way trade to US$5 billion by 2015 thanks to significant steps in development of bilateral relations, which was lifted to a strategic partnership 10 years ago.

The target was set at the first meeting between the co-chairmen of the Viet Nam-Russia Inter-Governmental Committee on economic trade and scientific and technological co-operation since the mechanism was upgraded to deputy prime minister level.

At the meeting, Deputy Prime Minister Hoang Trung Hai and Russian First Russian Deputy Prime Minister Igor Shuvalov worked on measures to promote bilateral trade towards the target, including starting early negotiations, establishment of a free trade area between Viet Nam and the Customs Union, including Russia, Belarus and Kazakhstan, and implementation of the policy to promote import and export of their products.

They discussed and agreed on important measures to boost the traditional friendship, strategic partnership and comprehensive co-operation between the two countries.

Yesterday, Shuvalov was separately received by Party General Secretary Nguyen Phu Trong and President Truong Tan Sang.

The Russian Deputy PM affirmed the Russian government always attached importance to developing the strategic partnership with Viet Nam and expressed his belief that with both sides' efforts, all-round co-operation would be promoted and developed in future.

The Vietnamese leaders said that the working visit by Shuvalov would make practical contributions to deepening the two countries' ties, particularly as they celebrated the 10th anniversary of their strategic partnership.

In the meeting of the Inter-Governmental Committee, Deputy PM Hai and his Russian counterpart Shuvalov were pleased with expanding investment between the two countries, and committed to continue to encourage and create favourable conditions for firms from both sides to invest in each other's markets.

They emphasised the role of energy co-operation, considering it as a key strategic co-operative field for development of both countries as well as for bilateral ties.

They expressed their pleasure with the development of bilateral co-operation in oil and gas, particularly the smooth and efficient operations of the Vietsovpetro oil and gas joint venture, the newly established Rusvietpetro, Gazpromviet and Vietgazprom joint ventures in Viet Nam, Russia and third countries.

The two Deputy PMs affirmed that nuclear energy was among strategic, potential and promising co-operative areas between Viet Nam and Russia.

Deputy PM spoke highly of the signing of the agreement on Russia's provision of credit to Viet Nam to build the Ninh Thuan 1 nuclear power plant and Russia's funding for the project's feasibility report.

Both sides also agreed to co-operate in building a nuclear science and technology centre in Viet Nam.

The two sides agreed to step up co-operation within the ASEAN-Russia co-operative mechanism framework and the Asia-Pacific Economic Co-operation (APEC) forum in the context of Russia hosting the APEC Summit in 2012.

After the meeting, the two Deputy PMs signed documents on their meeting and witnessed the signing of co-operative documents in industry, finance and credit, nuclear technology and agriculture.

VietNamNet/Viet Nam News

NOVEMBER 21, 2011, 6:55 A.M. ET

UPDATE: Vietnam Signs Deal With Russia For $8 Bln Loan For Nuclear Plant http://online.wsj.com/article/BT-CO-20111121-705299.html

-- Vietnam to borrow $8 billion from Russia to help finance its first nuclear power plant

-- First tranche of loan will be disbursed In 2014

-- Russian consortium gets Vietnam nuclear plant feasibility study

(Recasts first paragraph, adds information on Russian consortium feasibility study in 6th and 7th paragraphs and background throughout.)

By Vu Trong Khanh

Of DOW JONES NEWSWIRES

HANOI (Dow Jones)--Vietnam signed an agreement with Russia on Monday for an $8 billion loan to help finance the construction of its first nuclear power plant, as it pushes ahead with plans to build a fleet of nuclear power plants.

Representatives from two countries' finance ministries signed the loan agreement in Hanoi, said Phan Minh Tuan, director of Vietnam Electricity Group's Nuclear Power & Renewable Energy Projects Pre-Investment Board.

He said the first tranche of the loan will be disbursed in 2014.

The loan will be for the construction of the 2,000-megawatt Ninh Thuan 1 plant with two advanced light water reactors in the southern province of Ninh Thuan.

Russia's Rosatom has been chosen to build the plant, with construction work slated to begin in 2014 and be completed by 2020, the Vietnamese government has said earlier.

Nobody at the Russian embassy in Hanoi could be reached by telephone.

Vietnam Electricity Group said Monday it has also signed a contract with a Russian consortium of three entities for consulting services to develop a site approval dossier and feasibility study for the plant.

The 18-month study is to be funded by the Russian government, it added.

In September, Japan Atomic Power signed a contract with Vietnam Electricity Group for a similar study for Vietnam's second nuclear power plant nearby, the Ninh Thuan 2 plant, which is expected to use Japanese technology. The Ninh Thuan 2 Plant is scheduled to go online in 2021.

The Vietnamese government said last year it planned to have 13 nuclear reactors in eight separate plants with a combined capacity of 15,000 megawatt by 2030.

-By Vu Trong Khanh, Dow Jones Newswires; +84 4 35123042; trong-khanh.vu@dowjones.com

Minister Janakieski to sign railway cooperation agreement with Russiahttp://bsanna-news.ukrinform.ua/newsitem.php?id=18491&lang=en

Moscow, November 22. (MIA). Minister of Transport and Communications Mile Janakieski takes part November 22-23 at 5. International Forum "Transport of Russia", held in Moscow.

Minister Janakieski is set to meet with Russian counterpart Igor Levitin and sign an agreement between the countries' governments over cooperation in the field of railway traffic.

The agreement promotes competitive international railway traffic through minimum interventions by the state, thus giving passengers with a greater choice of services, along with stimulation of countries' railway transporters to establish innovative and competitive prices of services, but also providing a higher degree of safety and security of railway traffic.

Moreover, Minister Janakieski will meet representatives of the inter-governmental commission for commercial-economic and scientific-technical cooperation with regards to realization of gasification projects.

Russia to resume importing meat from Mongoliahttp://www.mad-mongolia.com/news/mongolia-news/russia-to-resume-importing-meat-from-mongolia-8023/

Russian officials recently informed Mongolia’s Ministry of Food, Agriculture and Light Industry that Russia has lifted its ban on the import of meat and meat products from Mongolia.

Russia imposed the ban in 2010, after cases of foot-and-mouth disease were reported in animals in Dornod, Khentii, and Sukhbaatar aimags.

The Ministry of Food, Agriculture and Light Industry, the Veterinary Board, and the Mongolian Meat Union are planning to resume exports to Russia in December.

Russian air-space defence to intercept all missiles – DMhttp://english.ruvr.ru/2011/11/22/60809830.html

Nov 22, 2011 12:05 Moscow Time

The Russian air-space defence system that’s due to be created by December this year will be able to intercept any missiles, including hypersonic ones, both in the air and outer space, the Russian Defence Minister Anatoly Serdyukov told a meeting of the Defence Ministry Board earlier this Tuesday.

He pointed out that the creation of the air-space defence system is due over by December 1st .

Russia’s air-space defence systems will combine the efforts and opportunities of both air-defence and ballistic missile defence, of the early missile attack warning system and that of space control, Serdyukov said.

(RIAN)

GOOGLE TRANSLATIONhttp://ria.ru/defense_safety/20111122/494757040.htmlMilitary police will appear in Russia in 201222/11/2011 11:09MOSCOW, November 22 - RIA Novosti. The military police will be operational in the Russian army in 2012, said Tuesday at the Board of the Defense Ministry Defense Minister Anatoly Serdyukov.In July of this year, Serdyukov said that military police will be created in the Russian army in 2011."Next year will operate the new structure - the military police," - said the Minister.According to him, to complete certification of officers military commandant, to form in all the garrisons of the military police."You also need to develop legal and regulatory framework governing its (police) activity," - said the Minister.The functions of the new body will include including the fight against "bullying" and the theft of military property. It is assumed that one of the military commandant's office of the police will be introduced in August this year and intended to follow the rule of law in the army.

Russian Navy to receive 10 diesel submarines by 2020http://en.rian.ru/mlitary_news/20111122/168916712.html

01:28 22/11/2011

MOSCOW, November 22 (RIA Novosti)

The Russian Navy is planning to receive up to 10 diesel-electric submarines by 2020, a Navy spokesman said.

“The Russian Navy expects to receive 8-10 diesel submarines by 2020,” the official said on Monday.

The new submarines will strengthen primarily Russia’s Baltic and Back Sea fleets, he added.

Russia’s Admiralteiskie Verfi shipyard on Monday launched the construction of a Project 636.3 modernized Kilo-class submarine.

The Project 636 vessels, crewed by 52 submariners, have an underwater speed of 20 knots, a cruising range of 400 miles with the ability to patrol for 45 days. They are armed with 18 torpedoes and eight surface-to-air missiles.

The spokesman said the improved Kilo class submarines will feature advanced “stealth” technology, extended combat range and ability to strike land, surface and underwater targets.

The Russian Navy currently has about 20 diesel-electric submarines deployed to protect Russia’s territorial waters.

Space station crew land safely in Kazakhstanhttp://en.rian.ru/world/20111122/168920860.html

06:30 22/11/2011

MISSION CONTROL, November 22 (RIA Novosti)

The Soyuz TMA-02M spacecraft carrying three crewmembers of the International Space Station (ISS) landed safely in Kazakhstan on Tuesday morning, Russia’s Mission Control said.

The landing capsule carrying Russian cosmonaut Sergei Volkov, NASA astronaut Michael Fossum and Japanese astronaut Satoshi Furukawa touched down at about 06.26 a.m. Moscow time (02:26 GMT) close to a designated area.

"The condition of the crew after the decent and the landing is normal. They are in high spirits," a spokesman for a special rescue team reported after the hatch was opened and the astronauts were helped out of the landing capsule.

After a preliminary medical check-up at a mobile hospital, the ISS crewmembers will be transported by a helicopter to Karaganda, to be later flown to Moscow.

Soyuz TMA-02M undocked from the ISS earlier on Tuesday. Volkov, Fossum and Furukawa have worked on board the orbital station as part of Expedition 29 since July.

Their return was originally set for November 16, but the failed launch of a Progress space freighter on August 24 forced the rescheduling.

The three crewmembers remaining on board the ISS – Russian cosmonauts Anton Shkaplerov and Anatoly Ivanishin, and NASA astronaut Daniel Burbank – arrived at the orbital station on November 16 as part of Expedition 30.

They will stay on board the station for 124 days, performing a spacewalk and conducting 37 scientific experiments.

The next launch of a piloted Soyuz spacecraft with three new crewmembers to the ISS is scheduled for December 21.

Russian Soyuz and Progress spacecraft have taken the bulk of crew rotation and cargo missions to the ISS after NASA stopped launching its shuttles earlier this year. Under a contract between Russian space agency Roscosmos and NASA, signed on March 14, Soyuz spacecraft will take at least 12 U.S. astronauts to the ISS and back until 2016.

Russia is resigned to losing Mars moon probe

http://www.google.com/hostednews/ap/article/ALeqM5hlpYFnaYypIoCafo4qp-KE4T5LaA?docId=8790fc9fd58e457da94acead0cc2466a(AP) – 6 minutes ago 

MOSCOW (AP) — Russian officials have acknowledged that chances to fix a space probe bound for a moon of Mars that got stuck in Earth's orbit are close to zero.

Roscosmos deputy chief Vitaly Davydov said in remarks carried by Russian news agencies Tuesday that the mission to Mars' moon will have failed if space officials still don't establish contact with the probe till the end of the month.

The Phobos-Grunt (Phobos-Ground) was launched two weeks ago and reached preliminary Earth orbit, but its engines never fired to send it off to the Red Planet.

Russian engineers have been trying to retrieve data from the probe as it passed over their territory but hasn't established contact.

A satellite tracking website showed the Mars probe steadily passing over North America on Tuesday morning.

RT News line, November 22

Almost no chance left for Phobos-Grunt mission – Russia`s space agencyhttp://rt.com/news/line/2011-11-22/#id22355

The Phobos-Grunt mission to one of Mars`s moons is unlikely to be completed, RIA Novosti reports, citing Russia`s space agency, Roscosmos. “We need to be realists: if we cannot restore the connection with the probe for so long, then the chances that we can carry out this expedition are very poor,” said the agency’s deputy head, Vitaly Davydov. The Phobos-Grunt probe, designed to analyze the surface of Mars’s biggest moon, Phobos, was launched on November 9. The rocket took the probe to Earth’s orbit, but for unknown reasons its engines failed to fire to propel it on its trajectory to Mars.

Missile Strike Unlikely Against Wayward Russian Mars Probehttp://www.businessweek.com/news/2011-11-21/missile-strike-unlikely-against-wayward-russian-mars-probe.html

November 21, 2011, 6:19 PM EST

By Brendan McGarry

Nov. 21 (Bloomberg) -- Russia probably isn’t capable of shooting down a wayward spacecraft with tons of toxic chemicals inside that may soon crash to Earth, U.S. space engineers said.

The $163 million Phobos-Grunt, made by Moscow-based NPO Lavochkin, got stuck in low-Earth orbit after its Nov. 9 launch. It may crash within weeks if scientists are unable to establish contact and activate its propulsion systems. The window to send the spacecraft to a Martian moon, its destination, ends today, state news agency RIA Novosti reported.

Russia may not have the capability to launch a missile to destroy the probe. The United States shot down a disabled spy satellite in 2008, and China intercepted a defunct weather satellite in 2007.

“This has got such a low orbit life,” Wayne Hale, director of human space flight and international programs for Special Aerospace Services LLC, a Boulder, Colorado-based engineering company, said in an interview in Washington. “The time frame to mount any kind of capability to disperse these propellants is just very short.”

The craft’s 13 tons is mostly fuel, including nitrogen teroxide and hydrazine. Hydrazine is a colorless, corrosive liquid used in products including rocket fuel, pesticides and textile dyes. Acute exposure can damage the liver, kidney and central nervous system, and cause other health problems, according to the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency.

When the U.S. Navy struck an inoperable spy satellite in 2008 with a modified Standard Missile-3 made by Waltham, Massachusetts-based Raytheon Co., the Pentagon said the goal was to destroy a fuel tank with about 1,000 pounds of hydrazine.

Contamination Risk

Frozen hydrazine from the Russian probe may survive as ice or slush on the ground, possibly contaminating an area of tens or hundreds of feet, according to James Oberg, a NASA veteran who works as a space consultant.

Vladimir Popovkin, head of the Russian space agency Roscosmos, played down the re-entry risks, saying the fuel is very likely to explode and destroy the craft during descent, RIA Novosti reported.

Popovkin has said the spacecraft will orbit until January, and that engineers have until early December to re-establish contact and “make it perform its mission,” according to the news agency. The craft has reportedly twice corrected, or boosted, its orbit without instruction.

The probe was designed to return soil samples from one of two Martian moons. It lifted off Nov. 9 in a Zenit-2 rocket from the Baikonur cosmodrome in Kazakhstan. It separated from the booster and then failed to ignite its liquid-fuel, upper-stage engine to set a course for Mars.

NASA Collaboration

Popovkin has said the on-board computers may have failed to send a command to ignite the engine. All attempts to communicate with the craft have failed.

A spokeswoman for Roscosmos did not respond to an e-mail requesting comment.

The National Aeronautics and Space Administration offered to help and is working with the Russian space agency to provide requested technical and communications assistance, Michael Braukus, a NASA spokesman, said in an e-mail last week. “These efforts are ongoing.”

The collaboration involves the use of NASA’s Deep Space Network, which has antennas and communications hubs in California, Spain and Australia to constantly observe spacecraft as Earth rotates, Braukus said.

Scott Pace, director of the Space Policy Institute at George Washington University, said once NASA offered support, it took several days to get enough technical information from Russia to begin searching for the probe with the space network.

‘Limited Options’

Among the lessons that may be taken from the experience is the importance of open communications, which allow rapid international support in times of need, Pace wrote in an e-mail.

“A lot of good work has already occurred, particularly between the United States, Europe, and Japan, but clearly more could be done,” Pace wrote.

Tom Collina, research director at the Arms Control Association in Washington, said Russia has short- to medium- range air defense systems.

“They don’t have systems that would intercept something in space,” he said in a telephone interview. “My sense is that they would have limited options if they were actually trying to shoot something down.”

Mars Rover

Oberg, a mission control veteran of the shuttle program, said the Russian military recently created an air and space command to defend the country against dangerous missiles and satellites.

“If it turns out that this much ballyhooed new command is impotent to defend against one of their own satellites, it’s going to be more than embarrassing,” he said in a telephone interview.

The interplanetary mission is Russia’s first since losing a Mars lander at a similar stage in 1996. The Phobos-Grunt spacecraft is carrying China’s first Mars satellite, Yinghuo-1.

The U.S. plans to search for life on Mars with a rover called Curiosity, as part of NASA’s $2.5 billion Mars Science Laboratory, scheduled to launch Saturday from Cape Canaveral Air Force Station, Florida.

The Russian probe may be the third out-of-control spacecraft to return to the Earth in as many months. A U.S. climate satellite crashed into the Pacific Ocean on Sept. 24, and a German space telescope fell into the Bay of Bengal on Oct. 23, according to the state newspaper China Daily.

When asked how officials prepare for such an event, Hale, who was former manager of NASA’s space shuttle program, said, “You just try your best to predict where it’s going down and you keep your fingers crossed.”

--Editors: Stephanie Stoughton, Steven Komarow

To contact the reporter on this story: Brendan McGarry in Washington at bmcgarry2@bloomberg.net

To contact the editor responsible for this story: Mark Silva at msilva34@bloomberg.net -0- Nov/18/2011 22:45 GMT

GOOGLE TRANSLATION

Opposition plans to hold election day rally on Triumfalnaya Square

http://www.interfax.ru/politics/news.asp?id=217845November 22, 2011 10:09

Moscow. On November 22. INTERFAX.RU - Opposition filed in the City Hall of Moscow bid to host the December 4, the day of parliamentary elections rally in Triumph Square."Organizing Committee" Strategy 31 "sent to the mayor of Moscow notice of the December 4 Triumph Square rally under the slogan" Elections without opposition - a crime, "- said the representative of the unregistered opposition party, the" Other Russia "Alexander Averin.

12:17 22/11/2011ALL NEWS

About 250 international observers already accredited to monitor Duma elections

http://www.itar-tass.com/en/c154/278155.html

MOSCOW, November 22 (Itar-Tass) — The Russian Central Election Commission has already accredited 91 international observers, who work at the Russian parliamentary elections on a long-term basis, Apart from that, the Central Election Commission has accredited 154 observers, who will monitor the oncoming elections on a short-term basis, the chairman of the Central Election Commission, Vladimir Churov, said on Tuesday.

According to Churov, the Central Election Commission is currently considering the documents of 286 international observers more. “No one has been refused accreditation,” Churov stressed.

The elections to the Russian State Duma, or lower parliament house, of the sixth convocation will be held on December 4.

ODIHR experts will not risk sharing fate of PACE delegationhttp://rt.com/politics/press/kommersant/russia-election-campaign-report/en/

Published: 22 November, 2011, 12:04Edited: 22 November, 2011, 12:05

Maksim Ivanov

The OSCE Office for Democratic Institutions and Human Rights (ODIHR) has published a report on the course of Russia’s election campaign. It mentions the use of government resources to boost the United Russia party and expresses “a lack of trust in the fairness of the electoral process”. At the Central Election Commission (CEC), Kommersant was told that, by publishing the election report on their website, ODIHR observers are trying to bypass Russian legislation prohibiting foreigners from assessing Russia’s elections. 

The OSCE Office for Democratic Institutions and Human Rights (ODIHR) has published a report on the course of Russia’s election campaign. It mentions the use of government resources to boost the United Russia party and expresses “a lack of trust in the fairness of the electoral process”. At the Central Election Commission (CEC), Kommersant was told that, by publishing the election report on their website, ODIHR observers are trying to bypass Russian legislation prohibiting foreigners from assessing Russia’s elections.

The OSCE ODIHR election observation mission has released an “interim” report, dated October 26 to November 14, on Russia’s State Dumas election. The main focus of the 10-page report is the conditions in which the elections will be held. Having listed the changes to electoral legislation made after 2007, during the previous State Duma elections, experts noted that “independent candidacies and the formation of electoral blocs are not permitted.” Only seven registered parties will participate in the election;

three of these parties were obliged to collect 150,000 support signatures. Meanwhile, “several parties have been denied registration by the Ministry of Justice.” In the report, it is noted that “television is the primary source of political information. Most of the national television channels are state-owned or state-controlled.”   “Most political parties have expressed a lack of trust in the fairness of the electoral process. Some parties are concerned about the alleged use of administrative resources by the governing party. They also highlighted difficult procedures for non-parliamentary parties to register candidate lists with the CEC and slow complaints mechanisms,” write the experts. At the Central Election Commission sessions which they attended, “CEC members worked collegially, taking most decisions unanimously and without debate.” Certain questions arise in regard to the subordinate election commissions, their “impartiality” and “independence from regional and local administrations.” The ODIHR notes that “in Moscow, posters printed by the city election commission for voter information purposes are almost identical to the posters displayed by the governing party in its campaign.” Based on the experts’ observations, United Russia, the CPRF and the LDPR have been most active in campaigning. The ODIHR mission also notes that police periodically confiscate campaign material.         

The ODIHR has no plans to publicly present its interim report. “This is a working document,” Yegor Tilpunov, a media analyst with the ODIHR, told Kommersant. The next report, which will be more detailed and offer some concrete conclusions, including on execution of commitments before the OSCE, is expected to come out on December 5.    Note that Article 11 of the Law “On the Election of Deputies of the State Duma” stipulates that foreign nationals are not allowed to engage in any activities in the RF “which help or impede the preparations for and conduct of the election” as well as “the nomination and registration of candidates (list candidates), election of registered candidates.” Meanwhile, Article 31 indicates that observers may “express their opinion” about the Russian legislation and the election campaign only after the voting period. “They did not hold a press conference or a briefing; they did not support the opposition; therefore, officially, the law has not been broken,” CEC member Tatiana Voronova told Kommersant. They tried adhering to the principles of Russian law by publishing the report on a foreign website, she says. “The report has no value to either specialists or election participants. It has been made to save face: despite the legal ban on publication of assessments, they are following  inside instructions,” CEC member and head of the Russian Public Institute for Election Law, Igor Borisov, told Kommersant.      Recall that the ODIHR had published its report following a scandal which broke after the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe (PACE) delegation’s visit to the RF. Last Tuesday, CEC Chairman Vladimir Churov said that the PACE representatives, who issued a number of critical comments at a press conference in Moscow, had violated Russian law. Mr. Churov announced that he had filed complaints with the Prosecutor General’s Office and the Foreign Affairs Ministry. Both agencies have not yet responded to Kommersant’s questions regarding their reactions to the appeals. According to Kommersant’s sources, PACE has already sent letters to the CEC for accreditation of the short-term observer mission which is expected to include Tiny Kox and Marietta de Pourbaix-Lundin, who had commented on the course of the campaign.

Dmitry Medvedev: "The slogan "We must stop feeding the Caucasus" is not fair, not right, and dangerous" http://www.riadagestan.com/news/2011/11/22/7931/

22.11.2011 , 10:32Text: Juma Mugutdinova

Rostov-on-Don, November 22, 2011. On November 21, the President of the Russian Federation Dmitry Medvedev met with the representatives of mass media of the Southern Federal District and the North Caucasian Federal District.

Opening the event, Mr. Medvedev welcomed and thanked the journalists and said that it was his fourth meeting of the day. The President reported that he visited Vladikavkaz, talked there with the military and the public of the republic. Just after arrival in Rostov, he held a meeting with the Heads of the Southern Federal District and the North Caucasian Federal District, where they discussed issues of preparation for the upcoming elections.

It should be noted that a representative of RIA "Dagestan" Juma Mugutdinova also took part in the meeting. Her question was about public statements of some politicians on the peoples of the North Caucasus.

"Some politicians allow themselves to told inadmissible things about the peoples of the North Caucasus. Do you think that we should strengthen the liability for such statements? - she asked. What do you think about the slogan, "We must stop feeding the Caucasus?".

"This slogan is provocative”, - the President of Russia said. “By the way, on the other hand, if you look at the transfers that are sent to the regions, the Caucasian republics don’t occupy the first place and, moreover, we have only 10-15% of the regions, which are donors. That’s why the slogan "We must stop feeding the Caucasus" is not fair, not right, and dangerous".

It should be noted that questions concerning the development of the tourism cluster in the North Caucasus, judicial reform and many other issues were discussed during the meeting.

11/21/2011 @ 7:39PM |122 views

For Russia's President, Calls For Violence On Line Not Protected Speechhttp://www.forbes.com/sites/kenrapoza/2011/11/21/for-russias-president-calls-for-violence-on-line-not-protected-speech/

+ Comment now

Russian president Dmitry Medvedev is all for free speech on line, but when it comes to bullying and calls for violence he has zero tolerance.

“It is necessary to outline clear criteria that allow law enforcers to determine the limits of norms,” Medvedev said at a meeting with regional media in southern Russia. He added that there cannot be any freedom “when calls to go and kill somebody are spilling from the internet and social networks,” Ria Novosti reported on Monday.

Medvedev, who was called the only world leader who understood the internet by Wikipedia founder Jimmy Wales last week, is not interested in censoring the internet, but recognizes a need to police violent behavior on line.

He said that legal responsibility on the internet was complex. “To establish legal responsibility for comments on the internet and social networks would mean to destroy the internet itself,” he said. However, people who call for violence on line should be brought to justice.

In one polemic case earlier this year that garnered much media attention, St. Petersburg prosecutors sent an official warning to Russian website Fontanka.ru for posting a video of a sexual assault on a schoolboy. Several high school students assaulted a 13-year old boy on April 28 and posted a video of their act on line.

Russians are spending more time on line. The country’s internet users grew to 25 million as of August 2011 from 10 million in August 2009, according to Russian think tank OpenStat.

Medvedev proposes punishment for calls for violence on internethttp://en.ria.ru/russia/20111121/168911137.html

21:01 21/11/2011

ROSTOV-ON-DON, November 21 (RIA Novosti)

People should be brought to justice not for posting their thoughts on the internet, but for calls for violence, Russian President Dmitry Medvedev said on Monday.

 

“It is necessary to outline clear criteria that allow law enforcers to determine the limits of norms,” Medvedev said at a meeting with regional media in southern Russia. He added that there cannot be any freedom “when calls to go and kill somebody are spilling from the internet and social networks.”

 

Medvedev said that until the posts on the internet contain calls for violence, they can be viewed as discussions of a problem.

 

“However I get sick over these discussions,” the president complained.

 

He said that legal responsibility on the internet is a very complicated issue. “To establish legal responsibility for comments on the internet and social networks would mean to destroy the internet itself.”

 

In June, Russian Communication Minister Igor Shchegolev said at the St.Petersburg International Economic Forum that internet censorship is “absolutely meaningless” since “the model of the internet is designed in a way that information inside it remains unsinkable and self-recovering.”

Russian patriarch awarded Order of Sheikh ul-Islamhttp://www.news.az/articles/society/49186

Tue 22 November 2011 05:36 GMT | 6:36 Local Time

The chairman of the Caucasus Muslims' Department, Sheikh-ul-Islam Allahshukur Pashazade, has attended the Russian patriarch's birthday celebrations.

On behalf of the Muslims of Azerbaijan and the Caucasus, the sheikh awarded Patriarch Kirill the Order of the Sheikh ul-Islam for his personal contribution to the development of interreligious and interethnic dialogue, the strengthening of cultural ties in the CIS and worldwide, cooperation between the Russian Orthodox Church and the Caucasus Muslims Department and the deepening of friendly relations between the peoples of Russia and Azerbaijan.

The sheikh had a one-to-one meeting with the patriarch and another meeting involving the two sides' delegations.

Azerbaijan's ambassador to Russia, Polad Bulbuloglu, read a letter of congratulations to the patriarch on his 65th birthday from Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev.

Patriarch Kirill thanked the Azerbaijani leader for the birthday wishes.

The patriarch noted that Ilham Aliyev always gave priority to religious issues: "I am pleased with this development of the existing fraternal relations between the two countries," he said.

APA

22 November 2011, 12:26

Patriarch Kirill to hold some meetings in the Moscow Kremlinhttp://www.interfax-religion.com/?act=news&div=8898

Moscow, November 22, Interfax - Patriarch Kirill of Moscow and All Russia consecrated the Patriarchal Chambers in the Moscow Kremlin located on the ground floor of the Granovitaya Palata (Russian for the Faceted Chamber - IF).

"The chambers are given to the Patriarch of Moscow and All Russia for use by President of the Russian Federation Dmitry Medvedev and after restoration works are resumed they will be used for conducting official events with the Primate of the Russian Church, talks, receptions," the patriarchal press service reports.

Representatives of local Orthodox Churches who arrived in Moscow to celebrate Patriarch Kirill's 65th birthday have become the first visitors of the Patriarchal chambers.

Head of the patriarchal press service Archpriest Vladimir Vigilyansky told Interfax-Religion that the Patriarchal chambers in the Kremlin would become the Patriarch's residence.

"His Holiness the Patriarch will conduct various meetings in the new residence, when festival services are celebrated in the Moscow Kremlin cathedrals, he will meet with the country's leaders there," the priest said.

In present, the Primate of the Russian Church conducts all official meetings in his residence in Chisty Pereulok in downtown Moscow.

12:05 22/11/2011ALL NEWS

Rub 3,7 bln spent on Vladivostok facades renovation for APEC 2012

http://www.itar-tass.com/en/c154/278144.html

VLADIVOSTOK, November 22 (Itar-Tass) — First Deputy Prime Minister Igor Shuvalov on Tuesday checked the implementation of the program for renovation of facades of buildings in Vladivostok for the 2012 APEC summit.

He examined a number of houses and was unhappy with their appearance, particularly with the colour layout. The first deputy prime minister particularly did not like the buildings painted in different shades of ochre. “If these are the solutions proposed by the architects, then such experts should be sent away,” Shuvalov said. “People should not get accustomed to such bad taste.”

“At present, the facades of some houses after renovation look as though they have not been touched at all,” he said. Shuvalov instructed the mayor of Vladivostok and governor of the Primorsky Territory not only to intensify the finishing work, but also take into account the peculiarities of the urban environment, so as not to spoil the maritime city’s unique design created by the first architects.

Renovation of facades of buildings in the city is conducted under the program of preparation of the city for the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation forum’s summit that will be held here in 2012. The federal budget allocations for this purpose amount to 2.4 billion roubles, and more than 1.3 billion roubles were additionally transferred on Shuvalov’s personal order in the spring of 2011.

According to the Vladivostok administration, at present, 300 building facades are currently undergoing renovation. A special design was worked out for each house and the uniform concept of the dwelling houses’ colour scheme. The colour of natural materials - stone, clay, sand, wood - white, beige, ochre, gray, reddish-brown will be preferred

colours in the residential buildings’ facing. Long-term warranty is provided for all the types of repairs.

RF First Deputy Prime Minister Igor Shuvalov arrived in the Primorsky Territory on Tuesday for a working visit. During several days he intends to visit Vladivostok, Arsenyev, Nakhodka, Pogranichny and the Bolshoi Kamen restricted administrative and territorial entity. During the trip Shuvalov will check the fulfilment of his earlier instructions given within the framework of the preparation of the federal program “Economic and social development of the Far East and Trans-Baikal area.” The first deputy prime minister also plans to visit the Arsenyev Aviation Plant “Progress,” an agricultural fair, the Sollers automobile plant. He will open the third section of the De Friz Peninsula - Sedanka – Patrokl road and visit the local educational and medical institutions.

The capital of the Primorsky Territory is getting a new look for the APEC summit that will be held on the Russky Island in 2012. Under the program, tens of squares are to be reconstructed. Not only historical buildings, but also those that can be seen from the Amur Bay are to be repaired - nearly 900 buildings - most of them are dwelling houses. The work under the program was launched last year and should be completed by the end of 2011.

At present, the construction of more than 40 facilities for the APEC summit is underway in Vladivostok. Most of them will be completed by the end of this year. The deadlines for certain facilities have been shifted from the end of 2011 to the spring of 2012. They are the bridge across the Zolotoi Rog (Golden Horn) Bay, the Novy settlement – De-Friz Peninsula - Sedanka – Patrokl Bay highway with the low-level bridge De-Friz - Sedanka and part of the Patrokl Bay – Zolotoi Rog Bay motor road section. These facilities will be commissioned no later than May 31, 2012.

The 2012 APEC summit facilities in Vladivostok include roads, bridges, hotels, water and power supply facilities. In 2010, in accordance with the special federal program, the financing of the construction work on the Russky Island amounted to 29.3 billion roubles - 4.5 times more than in 2009. The proposal put forward for Russia to hold the 2012 summit on Russky Island was confirmed at the end of the APEC Australia 2007 summit in Sydney, Australia. At a press conference in Sydney, regional governor Sergei Darkin estimated the cost of hosting the summit at 147.5 billion roubles. The construction of infrastructure serving the summit, by Darkin experts’ estimates, would aid economic development in the Russian Far East and would see more than a six-fold increase of the gross regional product by 2020.

The APEC brings together 19 countries in the Asia-Pacific region and two territories - Hong Kong and Taiwan. Along with Russia this structure includes such economically important world powers such as Canada, China, Korea, Mexico, the United States and Japan. APEC is the premier forum for facilitating economic growth, cooperation, trade and investment in the Asia-Pacific region. APEC is the only inter governmental grouping in the world operating on the basis of non-binding commitments, open dialogue and equal

respect for the views of all participants. Unlike the WTO or other multilateral trade bodies, APEC has no treaty obligations required of its participants. Decisions made within APEC are reached by consensus and commitments are undertaken on a voluntary basis. APEC has 21 members - referred to as “Member Economies” - which account for approximately 40.5 percent of the world’s population.

Putin party man beaten to death  http://www.windsorstar.com/news/Putin+party+beaten+death/5747680/story.html

Star News Services November 22, 2011 3:13 AM

A local candidate in Vladimir Putin's ruling party in northern Russia has died after being beaten by a tycoon friend he was visiting over the weekend, investigators said on Monday.

Innokenti Buchin, a candidate for the town of Tikhvin in St. Petersburg's Leningrad region, was attacked in the home of a 39-year-old entrepreneur whose name was not revealed.

The businessman has been arrested and charged with causing injury with grievous intent.

Buchin died of his wounds in hospital.

Putin's United Russia party is still expected to dominate Dec. 4 elections to the State Duma lower house of parliament, which will be followed by a March presidential vote that is expected to return him to power for the third time.

© Copyright (c) The Windsor Star

Read more: http://www.windsorstar.com/news/Putin+party+beaten+death/5747680/story.html#ixzz1eQMA5sfw

Russian Press at a Glance, Tuesday, November 22, 2011http://en.rian.ru/papers/20111122/168922751.html

08:44 22/11/2011

POLITICS

Russian President Dmitry Medvedev will announce Russia’s ultimate stance on the European missile shield before the meeting of NATO Ministers of Foreign Affairs in Brussels on December 7-8 (Izvestia)

The United Russia party has demanded that the Communists remove their list of their candidates to the State Duma and the parliamentary assembly in the Perm region over the alleged bribery of voters. (Kommersant)

Only Russia’s ruling United Russia party and the ultra-nationalist Liberal Democratic Party of Russia will spend more money on the current parliamentary election campaign than in 2007. The rest of election-running parties are in the grasp of a financial crisis. (Vedomosti)

ECONOMY & BUSINESS

“Gas wars” between Russia and Belarus are apparently over. Moscow may cut the price of natural gas exports to Minsk by half in 2012, and equal it with domestic prices starting in 2013. (Vedomosti, Izvestia)

Transparency International has criticized the draft legislation on the reform of the Russian system of government contracts as corruption-prone. (Moscow News) 

Kremlin economic aide Arkady Dvorkovich proposed on Monday that the government consider introducing a sales tax to replace the backbone of federal finances, the value-added tax. The idea is “stale” and ineffective, experts believe. (Moscow Times, Kommersant, Vedomosti)

Russia’s last domestically-owned tobacco company - Don Tobacco - has been put up for sale. The most likely buyer is Britain’s Imperial Tobacco. (Kommersant)

Consumption of vodka in Russia may be falling by 7.7 percent annually in the future due to increased excise duties. Experts believe that vodka will be gradually replaced by home-brew, wine and beer. (Vedomosti)

DEFENSE

Deputy Defense Minister Mikhail Mokretsov, who has supervised the Armed Forces’ finances since July 2010, may soon lose his job over differences with Defense Minister Anatoly Serdyukov in how to streamline Russia’s troubled state defense order. (Kommersant)

SOCIETY

Muscovites want to teach their children good manners regardless of costs and time consumption. The Russian capital has registered an increased demand for etiquette courses for children and teenagers. (Moscow News) 

Russian Prime Minister Vladimir Putin suggested on Monday that domestic movie makers should develop their industry’s moral code, reducing the amount of violence and promoting human values in their films. (Rossiiskaya Gazeta)

Owners of 19 movie theaters in Moscow have refused to show a German documentary on the life of jailed Russian tycoon Mikhail Khodorkovsky. (Kommersant)

Russia is to spend up to $60 million on a six-year advertising campaign to bolster its image as a tourist destination. (Moscow Times)

For more details on all the news in Russia today, visit our website at www.en.rian.ru

November 21, 2011 10:32 pm

A Russian epic for the box office, not a court in England

By Jonathan Ford

High quality global journalism requires investment. Please share this article with others using the link below, do not cut & paste the article. See our Ts&Cs and Copyright Policy for more detail. Email ftsales.support@ft.com to buy additional rights. http://www.ft.com/cms/s/0/2f6fb31e-1434-11e1-b07b-00144feabdc0.html#ixzz1eQ5Kv4TY

If the law were a branch of the entertainment industry, the English legal system would be entitled to give itself a standing ovation for securing the Berezovsky v Abramovich case.

Week after week the case has opened a fascinating window on to the lives of the post-Soviet oligarchy, in particular that time when men of great drive and limited scruple garnered vast business empires as Russia was beset by rampant lawlessness.

The list of witnesses reads like a who’s who of those that flourished most during that unhappy period: the latest walk-on part being Oleg Deripaska, the aluminium king, who testified on Friday. When the contending oligarchs have appeared in court to give evidence, the public has been clamouring to get in.

Not only has the gaiety of the nation been augmented; so have the bank balances of some of the UK’s leading lawyers. It is rumoured that Roman Abramovich’s hotshot counsel, Jonathan Sumption, may receive from £4m to £10m for his efforts. But behind the razzmatazz, there are reasons to be queasy about this action. Surely the High Court has better things to do with its time.

The case turns on events in the late 1990s when Boris Berezovsky and Mr Abramovich were building their fortunes. Mr Berezovsky claims Mr Abramovich swindled him out of assets that were rightly his: especially a stake in an oil company, Sibneft, which Mr

Abramovich acquired from the Russian state for next to nothing during the so-called “shares for loans” privatisations. Mr Berezovsky says they verbally agreed to split the proceeds; Mr Abramovich denies this.

All very well. But is an English court the place to hear a dispute about events concerning Russian citizens disposing of Russian assets? Especially since, in one claim, it is not clear there would be a case to answer under Russian law, which does not recognise the sort of partnership Mr Berezovsky relied on.

Indeed, on the latter point, Mr Berezovsky’s argument hangs on his assertion that he and Mr Abramovich agreed verbally to make their deal subject to English law. If this sounds a skimpy thread, then Mr Berezovsky’s performance on the stand, where he has contradicted his written witness statements, can only make it skimpier.

But beyond narrow questions about the law, there is something unseemly about proceedings that tie up the High Court for months to settle a dispute over gains that it is hard to maintain were not ill-gotten. The law decreeing Sibneft’s privatisation may have been valid; the way it was executed was not.

And consider what moral backflips the judge would have to perform to find in Mr Berezovsky’s favour. By his own admission, he extracted huge sums from publicly listed Sibneft in the 1990s, taking out more money than his notional interest entitled them to (in some years, his “dividend” exceeded the profits of the company, although his “interest” was only 25 per cent).

Similarly Mr Abramovich’s defence – that he paid large sums to Mr Berezovsky because of an obligation to pay “krysha”, or protection money, for political services – is surely an ethical and legal quagmire.

The get-out is that such rough stuff was simply part of doing business in the wild east. Mr Abramovich’s lawyer has likened the legal and political environment in 1990s Russia to that of 15th-century England, effectively urging the judge to overlook any rough edges. However, the court does not have to take such a liberal view.

Perhaps the strongest argument for the case is that Mr Berezovsky would not be able to secure justice anywhere else. As an exile from Russia, based in the UK, he can scarcely seek it in Moscow. But his right to justice cannot invalidate all other concerns about this lawsuit.

London has become the stage for many high-profile Russian squabbles, frequently involving individuals and disputes with little or no connection to the UK. For instance Mr Deripaska will be back next year, fighting his own similar action against a former associate, Michael Cherney. An international arrest warrant precludes the latter from travelling, forcing him to testify via video link from Israel. These cases make for good box office and happy lawyers. But English courts are not in the entertainment business – and should not be rented out to Russians to settle 15th-century disputes.

The author is the FT’s chief leader writer

Filthy lucre: Afghan drug profits too juicy to resisthttp://rt.com/news/afghan-drug-us-money-893/

Published: 22 November, 2011, 10:11Edited: 22 November, 2011, 10:11

Russia has criticized the US and NATO for not doing enough to stop illegal drug trafficking from Afghanistan, which produces more than 90 per cent of the world's opium.

Moscow says the simplest solutions are the most effective, and eradicating the country’s poppy fields is the key to solving the problem.

“Just one year’s output of Afghan heroin is enough to kill 10 million drug addicts,” underlined Viktor Ivanov, Russia’s drug enforcement chief.

Indeed, the innocuous-looking poppies have already caused millions of deaths worldwide. 

Russia and the US have teamed up to crack down on drug producers in Afghanistan.

As a result of joint operations, a number of major labs have been destroyed there.

But there is a stark difference in how Russia and the US see the solution to the problem.

“Metaphorically speaking, instead of destroying the machine-gun nest, they suggest catching bullets flying from the machine-gun,” Ivanov explains. “We suggest eradicating the narcotic plants altogether. As long as there are opium poppy fields, there will be trafficking."

But the US and other NATO countries have no intention of ridding the world of Afghan poppy fields once and for all. They say Afghans need the opium poppies in order to survive.

Analysts have seized on the inconsistency of this approach and the outrageousness of an argument which says that Afghan peasants should not be made to grow potatoes instead of poppies, even if this means millions of people worldwide have to die. 

And Ivanov highlighted another inconsistency.

“The US together with the Colombian government eradicates 200,000 hectares of coca bushes a year. In Afghanistan, only 2,000 hectares of poppy fields are being eradicated – 100 times less,” Ivanov pointed out.

And alongside the refusal to get rid of the poppies, there is the apparent interest of international banks in “dirty” money.

Narcotics have nearly as large a share in total world trade as oil and gas.

The head of Russia’s drug enforcement suggested US and European banks tacitly welcome and “encourage” the inflow of drug money.

“Reports show that a persistent lack of liquidity and an aspiration to survive during the crisis promote not only tolerance to criminal money, but also encourage an attitude of a liability of such money,” Ivanov explained.

In America, there was tacit agreement with Russia’s proposal to stop the banks from laundering drug money.

Gil Kerlikovske, director of the Office of National Drug Control Policy in the executive office of the US president, told RT that “We can intercept and seize tons of narcotics, we can make arrests of traffickers, but we really need to choke off the funds that supply this.”

There was also doubt as to whether Western authorities can actually take on those very powerful financial institutions.

It seems clear that the US and other NATO countries are not committed to eradicating Afghan poppy fields altogether, and international banks do not seem to mind the huge influx of “dirty” money. But observers agree that the status quo would lead to millions more dying in the future – deaths which can and should be prevented.

Why are Russians excellent cybercriminals?http://themoscownews.com/siloviks_scoundrels/20111121/189221309.html

by Mark Galeotti at 21/11/2011 20:47

Last month, the US Office of the National Counterintelligence Executive identified two countries as most eagerly trying to steal American secrets through cyberspace. This month, the FBI’s ‘Operation Ghost Click,’ the investigation of a $14 million cybercrime case, led to six arrests and a hunt for a seventh. A few days later, it was revealed that hackers had taken over and sabotaged a water pumping facility in Illinois. Next month

sees the trial of the so-called “king of spam,” charged with being responsible for perhaps 10 billion unwanted and often hoax email messages every day.

What do all these stories have in common? The US report identified Russia and China as the guilty parties; of the seven hackers involved in ‘Ghost Click,’ one is a Russian citizen, the other six ethnic Russian Estonians; the Illinois hack was traced to servers in Russia; and “king of spam” Oleg Nikolayenko comes from Vidnoye, just outside Moscow.

Why does every hacking and cyberscam story – real or fictional – seem to have a Russia connection?

In part, it is prejudice and laziness. The stereotype of the Russian hacker has become such a common media trope that it gets recycled again and again. It also offers a handy update for those looking for new ways to perpetuate the ‘Russian threat.’

But it is not as simple as that. According to industry analyses, Russia accounts for about 35 percent of global cybercrime revenue, or between $2.5 and $3.7 billion. That’s wildly out of proportion with the country’s share of the global information technology market (which is around 1 percent).

There is still a conspiracy angle for some. Russian hackers converged on Estonian government servers in 2007 during the dispute over a WWII memorial, then Georgian systems during the 2008 war. Given Russian intelligence’s evident interest in cyber-espionage, the claim is that the Kremlin either controls the hackers or, more plausibly, turns a blind eye so long as they step in to help when the government calls.

There may be some truth in this. The Federal Security Service runs a training center for hackers and antihackers at Voronezh. Besides, this is hardly unique to Russia. China’s so-called “red hackers” attack government critics and infiltrate foreign sites, for example. However, a more basic answer is that a disproportionate number of Russians have worldclass math and computers skills, yet not the kind of jobs to use them legitimately. Although many firms in the industry are based in Russia, or else hire Russians, there is a pool of skilled but under-employed programmers who embrace the hacker world for fun, out of disillusion, or for profit.

On the one hand, this criminal phenomenon is thus a paradoxical triumph for Russia and its human capital. And at present it poses a relatively lower risk to Russians themselves than foreigners. This might help explain why law enforcement cooperation with the West on cybercrime is lagging behind other areas. However, as Russians become more wealthy, more Internetconnected (Russians have become the largest community of users in Europe, reaching 50.8 million in September), they will become more vulnerable themselves. Then will be a little late suddenly to wake up to the advantages of international cyberpolicing.

Besides, if the Skolkovo initiative is really going to transform Russia’s high-tech industries, shouldn’t it be a priority to harness the hackers’ initiative and ingenuity? 

Mark Galeotti is Clinical Professor of Global Affairs at New York University’s SCPS Center for Global Affairs. His blog, “In Moscow’s Shadows,” can be read at: http:// inmoscowsshadows.wordpress.com The views expressed in this article are the author’s own, and not necessarily those of The Moscow News.

Russia joins forces with France and Vietnam http://www.world-nuclear-news.org/NP-Russia_joins_forces_with_France_and_Vietnam-21111107.html

21 November 2011

Russian and French leaders have signed a wide-ranging declaration on nuclear energy cooperation as Russia's first foreign-equity nuclear power plant advances with a construction licence. Meanwhile, Russia also signed a credit agreement for another nuclear power plant in Vietnam.

 

Collaborations between French and Russian nuclear companies and commitments to advanced reactor technology were just two of the areas highlighted in the joint declaration signed by prime ministers Vladimir Putin and Francois Fillon during the 16th meeting on bilateral cooperation between the two countries. Described as an important step for their nuclear cooperation in the post-Fukushima world, the agreement reaffirmed a shared commitment to prioritize nuclear safety and ensure lessons learned from Fukushima are incorporated in existing and future nuclear power plants throughout the world.

As well as noting the two governments' "convergence" of views on the importance of international nuclear safety collaboration, the declaration highlighted their opinion that so-called Generation-III reactors must now be the standard technology for new reactor exports. Most of the world's operating reactors would be described as Generation-II designs, while newer Generation-III reactors offer enhanced safety levels and may incorporate passive, or inherent, safety features.

  

Both countries are in the process of building some of the world's first Generation-III reactors with French-designed EPRs under construction in Finland, France and China, and Russian-designed advanced VVER-1000s and 1200s under construction in India and

at two sites in Russia respectively.

The declaration looks still further to the future, describing the development of Generation-IV reactors as a key issue for future nuclear power, and notes plans for both countries' atomic energy development agencies, the CEA and Rosatom, to set up a joint roadmap for the development of new generation sodium-cooled fast neutron reactors. It also confirmed their ongoing commitment to the ITER international project towards nuclear fusion power, including the provision of funding. 

The two governments, according to the declaration, are encouraging companies in their countries to establish long-term partnerships, highlighting cooperation between Atomenergomash and Alstom to develop their joint venture joint venture, established in 2007 to manufacture turbine islands for Russian nuclear power plants. They also noted developing relationships between French nuclear company Areva and Rosatom in a wide range of areas across the entire nuclear fuel cycle, from the supply of uranium products to the management of used fuel.

 

Baltic licence

 On the same day that the joint declaration was signed in Moscow, Russian nuclear regulator Rostechnadzor granted a construction licence for the first of two VVER-1200 units planned for the Baltic nuclear power plant at Kaliningrad. The plant, intended to export a large part of its production to Lithuania, would be the first Russian plant to seek investment from other countries. According to Rosatom's company blog, Russia acknowledged an interest in increasing the participation of French companies in the project during the intergovernmental meeting, both as investors and equipment suppliers. Site preparation works began in 2010, and the first unit is scheduled to start up in 2016. Researched and written

by World Nuclear News

And in Vietnam...

 Russia has signed an agreement to provide credit for Vietnam's first nuclear power plant. The agreement was one of two signed in Hanoi during intergovernmental talks attended by the two countries' deputy prime ministers, with the second agreement covering the construction of a nuclear science and technology centre in Vietnam. Construction on the first of two Russian-financed units at Phuoc Din in Ninh Thuan province is pencilled in to start in 2014 and 2015. Intergovernmental agreements have

been signed with Japan for construction at a second site, and Vietnam recently signed an agreement on nuclear construction cooperation with South Korea.

National Economic Trends

November 22, 2011 09:15

Banks have 668.8 bln rbs on CBR correspondent accounts on November 22.http://www.interfax.com/newsinf.asp?id=289032

MOSCOW. November 22 (Interfax) - Russian banks have 668.8 billion rubles on correspondent accounts in the Central Bank as of November 22 including 502.0 billion rubles for Moscow banks

The balance on November 21 was 717.6 billion rubles and 555.1 billion rubles, respectively.

Banks had 137.9 billion rubles on deposit accounts in the Central Bank on November 22 against 111.6 billion rubles on previous day.

Russia Needs 0.5% Rate Cut to Protect Economy, Renaissance Sayshttp://www.bloomberg.com/news/2011-11-22/russia-needs-0-5-rate-cut-to-protect-economy-renaissance-says.html#

QBy Scott Rose - Nov 22, 2011 9:14 AM GMT+0100

A worsening global outlook may pressure Russia to cut interest rates by half a percentage point this year to shield the economy, Renaissance Capital said.

“The ever-darkening global backdrop, a now-certain European recession, significant growth deterioration in the U.S. and a soft landing in China all argue for the Russian central bank to strike pre-emptively,” Ivan Tchakarov, chief economist at the Moscow-based investment bank, said today in a note e- mailed to clients.

The central bank should reduce its refinancing rate and overnight auction-based repurchase rate by 25 basis points, or 0.25 percentage point, at a meeting Nov. 25 and by another quarter-point by the end of the year, Tchakarov said later in an e-mailed response to questions.

Policy makers are shifting their focus to safeguarding growth as Europe’s debt turmoil and a struggling U.S. economy increase the risk of another global recession. Russia cut the deposit rate in September and Australia, Serbia and Indonesia reduced borrowing costs this month. Sergey Ignatiev, Bank Rossii’s chairman, said last week he was “very concerned” about capital outflows that reached $64 billion through October.

Russia’s central bank, which left rates unchanged last month, may now see scope to decrease borrowing costs to increase the amount of cash available in the banking system, RenCap said.

Alleviating Pressure

“Lower rates would have the additional benefit of alleviating the high pressure in the money market, which has been driven by declining banking-sector liquidity and strong net capital outflows,” Tchakarov wrote.

In addition to reducing the repo rate, the Bank Rossii policy tool closest to money-market rates, the central bank should reduce the higher refinancing rate, which functions as a “signaling device” for lenders, Tchakarov said.

The move would further tighten the so-called interest-rate corridor between the overnight repo rate at 5.25 percent charged on loans from the central bank and the regulator’s main borrowing rate -- the overnight deposit rate at 3.75 percent. The corridor helps contain the volatility of money-market rates within the band targeted by policy makers.

In September, the central bank raised the deposit rate by a quarter-point and cut the repurchase rate by the same amount. Bank Rossii lifted the refinancing rate twice this year by a quarter-point to 8.25 percent, from 7.75 percent in February, with the last increase coming in May.

To contact the reporter on this story: Scott Rose in Moscow at rrose10@bloomberg.net

To contact the editor responsible for this story: Balazs Penz at bpenz@bloomberg.net

Russia to slash apple, pear import duties after joining WTOhttp://www.lol.org.ua/eng/showart.php?id=114919

According to interfax.com, Russia, a major importer of apples, will slash import duties on this fruit by nearly half after joining the World Trade Organization, and then cut them in half again by 2017.

The import duty on pears will be reduced by half by 2015, according to a document outlining Russia's obligations upon accession to the WTO, obtained by Interfax.

The current duty on apples imported from January 1 to March 31, from April 1 to June 30, is 0.10 euros/kg. Once Russia joins the WTO, which is expected to happen by the middle of 2012, the duty will drop to 0.06 euros and by 2017 it is supposed to decrease to 0.03 euros (to 0.015 euros/kg for apples imported from April 1 to July 30). The duty is set to drop to 0.054 euros in 2013, 0.048 euros in 2014, 0.042 euros in 2015, and 0.036 euros in 2016; the decline in duties for imports between April 1 and July 30 will be the same except in 2016, when this duty will be 0.031 euros/kg.

The duty on apple imports from August 1 to December 31 is currently 0.20 euros per kg, depending on the type of product, and will drop to 0.06 euros and 0.03 euros by 2017.

Russia is supposed to cut the 10% import duty on pears in half by 2015, keeping it at this level upon joining the WTO, but then reducing it to 8.3% in 2013, 6.7% in 2014 and 5% in 2015.

Russia was the biggest importer of apples and pears in 2010, according to U.S. Department of Agriculture. Apple shipments reached 1.11 million tonnes ($719 million) in 2010, and could grow to 1.12 million tonnes this year, largely due to an increase in imports from Europe. The main suppliers of apples to Russia are Poland with over 250,000 tonnes, China with about 160,000 tonnes and Moldova with about 150,000 tonnes. CIS countries account for 20% of imports.

Apples account for a quarter of the Russian fruit market, which measured 1.53 million tonnes, or 11.1 kg per person per year, in 2010, and is set to grow to 1.54 million tonnes this year.

Russian pear imports totaled 409,900 tonnes, or $424.6 million in 2010, up by 7% and 20% respectively from 2009. Analysts expect imports to increase to 412,000 tonnes this year. This will primarily be pears from Belgium, France and Spain.

The biggest suppliers of pears to the Russian market in 2010 were Belgium with about 140,000 tonnes, Argentina with about 110,000 tonnes, and the Netherlands with about 50,000 tonnes. About 60% of Europe's pears are sold in Russia.

Russia consumed 492,000 tonnes of pears, or 3.4 kg per person, in 2010. The market could grow to 497,000 tonnes this year.

We would remind you that all leading Ukrainian and Russian fruit and vegetable business participants will gather at the Eighth International Conference “Fruits & Vegetables of

Ukraine – 2011. New Exporter”. This event will take place in conjunction with Fresh Produce Ukraine 2011 Fair, IEC, Kiev, Ukraine, November 30 – December 2, 2011.

Business, Energy or Environmental regulations or discussions

Russia Stocks Rise First Day in Five After U.S. Rating Affirmedhttp://www.bloomberg.com/news/2011-11-22/russia-stocks-rise-first-day-in-five-after-u-s-rating-affirmed.html#

QBy Brad Cook - Nov 22, 2011 7:50 AM GMT+0100

Russian stocks rose for the first time in five days after ratings companies affirmed their credit scores for the U.S. government, easing concern the global slowdown may intensify.

The 30-stock Micex Index (INDEXCF) rose 1.1 percent to 1,402.91 at 10:15 a.m. in Moscow, paring a 4.8 percent decline yesterday, which was the biggest in seven weeks. The dollar-measured RTS Index gained 0.7 percent to 1,435.23.

Metals companies led the advance, with OAO Magnitogorsk Iron & Steel, OAO Polyus Gold and OAO Severstal all gaining more than 1.7 percent.

Standard & Poor’s and Moody’s Investors Service kept their ratings for sovereign U.S. debt unchanged after Congress’s special debt-reduction committee failed to reach an agreement, setting the stage for $1.2 trillion in automatic spending cuts in the world’s largest economy.

“There is a whole slew of economic data to be released in the U.S. today and tomorrow ahead of the holiday on Thursday, and, effectively, Friday,” said Chris Weafer, chief strategist at Troika Dialog, Russia’s oldest investment bank. “If the numbers are positive, then this will help put some calm back into markets that have become very fearful that political dithering and party fighting on both sides of the Atlantic will leave it too late to fix the problems,” Weafer said in a note.

Crude oil, Russia’s biggest export earner, increased 0.1 percent in New York to $97.04 a barrel for January delivery, halting three days of declines.

Magnitogorsk, Severstal

Magnitogorsk, billionaire Victor Rashnikov’s steelmaker, rose 1.8 percent to 12.77 rubles. The company said earlier today it was considering acquiring Flinders Mines in Australia. Bigger competitor OAO Severstal, controlled by billionaire Chief Executive Officer Alexey Mordashov, advanced 1.7 percent to 401.30 rubles after Goldman Sachs Group Inc. upgraded the stock to “buy” from “neutral.”

Polyus, the gold miner partly owned by billionaire Mikhail Prokhorov, rose 1.6 percent to 1,585.50 rubles. Gold for immediate delivery increased 0.4 percent to $1,683 an ounce.

OAO GMK Norilsk Nickel, Russia’s largest mining company, rose 1.6 percent to 5,111 rubles.

To contact the reporter on this story: Brad Cook in Moscow at bcook7@bloomberg.net

To contact the editor responsible for this story: Hellmuth Tromm at htromm@bloomberg.net

Bill on organized trade signed into law

http://www.rbcnews.com/free/20111122105018.shtml

      RBC, 22.11.2011, Moscow 10:50:18.Russian President Dmitry Medvedev has signed into law a bill on organized trade, which regulates stock and commodity exchanges, organizers of trade and information brokers.

      The law sets forth the rules for organized trade and capital requirements for organizers. It also requires organizers to obtain licenses starting January 1, 2013.

      The law is part of a package to be enacted in order to establish an international financial hub in Russia.

Kola GMK could finance Norilsk Nickel buyback with part of RUB 61 billion loanhttp://www.steelguru.com/russian_news/Kola_GMK_could_finance_Norilsk_Nickel_buyback_with_part_of_RUB_61_billion_loan/237028.html

Tuesday, 22 Nov 2011Interfax reported that the board of directors of MMC Norilsk Nickel has approved a deal between OJSC Kola Mining and Metals and NN Investments.

Norilsk did not specify the nature of the deal.

On November 11, the board of directors approved a plan by the Kola GMK to attract a RUB 61 billion loan from Sberbank of Russia. In parallel, Norilsk is borrowing 9 billion rubles from Sberbank and could partially guarantee Kola credit line.

Norilsk did not comment on the possibility of using Kola loan to finance NN Investments buyback which was held on October 28. A source close to Norilsk said on Friday that Kola is not going to transfer the entire loan to NN Investments. It will spend part of the funds on the basis of its own investment needs.

The buyback settlement will be completed in the week after November 18. The period during which Norilsk shareholders could sign contracts on selling shares expired on Friday.

Norilsk attracted a pre-export syndicated loan of USD 1.5 billion for the buyback. It did not disclose other possible sources of financing. Norilsk President Mr Andrei Klishas has said only that half of the sum was expected to be in the form of a loan and the rest would be financed with the company own funds and financial instruments.

(Sourced from Interfax)

November 22, 2011 10:47

MMK mulls Flinders Mines acquisition, raising $100 mln loan (Part 2)http://www.interfax.com/newsinf.asp?pg=2&id=289058

MOSCOW. Nov 22 (Interfax) - Magnitogorsk Iron & Steel Works (MMK) (RTS: MAGN) is thinking of buying Australia's Flinders Mines, and is raising a loan of $100 million, the Russian steel major said in a statement.

Flinders Mines holds licenses to a number of iron ore fields, some of them in Australia's Pilbara region, where world majors Rio Tinto and BHP Billiton are present.

Production at the fields is slated to begin in 2014 and reach 15 million trillion of ore per year.

Flinders Mines is traded in Australia and, going by its current share price, is valued at $300 million.

Pr

(Our editorial staff can be reached at eng.editors@interfax.ru)

MMK mulls $100m loan

http://www.rbcnews.com/free/20111122112256.shtml

      RBC, 22.11.2011, Moscow 11:22:56.Magnitogorsk Iron and Steel Works (MMK) is considering taking out a $100m loan from the Bank of Moscow, according to materials released by one of the world's major steel producers.

      This issue is on the agenda of an upcoming meeting of the board of directors, which is also expected to explore the option of taking over Flinders Mines, an emerging Australian iron ore mining company.

Russia's MMK mulls bid for Australia's Flindershttp://af.reuters.com/article/commoditiesNews/idAFL5E7MM0NX20111122

Tue Nov 22, 2011 8:11am GMT

* Flinders market cap is $309.6 million

* Both companies decline comment

* MMK plans to expand iron ore operations in Russia

MOSCOW, Nov 22 (Reuters) - Magnitogorsk Iron & Steel Works (MMK), Russia's third-largest steel producer, said in a regulatory filing on Tuesday it could acquire Australian iron miner Flinders Mines.

The market capitalisation of Flinders is $309.6 million, according to Reuters data.

The filing said the company's board of directors discussed the matter at a meeting on Nov. 18, but did not provide any further details and the company declined further comment.

MMK is seeking to increase its iron ore mining operations in order to secure supplies and hedge against rising prices.

It has plans to develop the Prioskolsky iron ore deposit in central Russia, with a projected annual output of 25 million tonnes, enough to meet the company's requirements for more than 60 years.

Currently, it sources about 30 percent of its iron ore demand at its own mines, according to analysts.

Flinders is one of several miners active in the Pilbara region of Western Australia. Its key project has a 20-year mine life and is expected to produce up to 15 million tonnes of iron ore per year.

It could begin some operations in late 2012, according to its website.

Flinders declined to comment on MMK's possible bid, but said it is carrying out a strategic review, as part of which it is in talks with various parties, but this process had not yet ended.

In the filing, MMK also said it could obtain a loan from Bank of Moscow for up to $100 million. (Reporting By Alfred Kueppers; Editing by David Holmes)

Vozrozhdeniye Q3 net profit 411 mln rbls, below fcasthttp://www.reuters.com/article/2011/11/22/vozrozhdenie-results-idUSL5E7MM09020111122

3:07am EST

MOSCOW, Nov 22 (Reuters) - Vozrozhdeniye, a top-30 Russian lender, said on Tuesday it earned 411 million roubles ($13.18 million) in net profit in the third quarter of 2011, falling short of analysts' expectations.

Vozrozhdeniye, one of Russia's few listed lenders, reported 179 million roubles in net profit in the third quarter of 2010. Analysts had expected the bank to more than double the result by posting 482 million rouble net in the third quarter this year.

The privately-owned lender has said it expects to earn around 1.1 billion roubles for 2011. ($1 = 31.1730 Russian roubles) (Reporting by Katya Golubkova; editing by Megan Davies)

Russian bank Vozrozhdenie says Kogan wants controlhttp://www.reuters.com/article/2011/11/22/vozrozhdenie-idUSR4E7LH01V20111122

4:19am EST

MOSCOW, Nov 22 (Reuters) - Russian bank Vozrozhdenie said on Tuesday that businessman Vladimir Kogan and a number of other Russian investors were looking to buy a controlling stake in the top-30 Russian lender.

The bank's deputy chairman Alexander Dolgopolov also told a press conference the lender may carry out a secondary share placement (SPO) next year.

"If the market is favourable, we may offer 10-15 percent," said Dolgopolov. (Reporting by Katya Golubkova, writing by Maria Kiselyova, editing by John Bowker)

Rostelecom to kick off stock option plan http://www.rbcnews.com/free/20111122110352.shtml

      RBC, 22.11.2011, Moscow 11:03:52.Rostelecom is to start up the first stage of its employee stock option program on December 1, which could fetch 350 former and current managers of the telecommunications operator over USD 50m, RBC Daily reports.

      The employee stock option pool was set at 3.5% with RUB 96.8 (approx. USD 3.1) per share, while Rostelecom's stock is currently traded at RUB 152.75 (approx. USD 4.9) per share and is expected to gain value by the year-end.

      During the first stage that will last for six months, participants will be offered to buy out 60% of the shares included in the stock option program, and the second stage will be launched on December 1, 2012, Rostelecom's former manager said.

Alfa Bank President Aven Doubles His Stake in CTC Media, Vedomosti Reportshttp://www.bloomberg.com/news/2011-11-21/alfa-s-aven-doubles-his-stake-in-ctc-media-vedomosti-reports.html#

QBy Halia Pavliva - Nov 21, 2011 11:30 PM GMT+0100

Russian billionaire Petr Aven doubled his stake in television company CTC Media Inc. (CTCM) to 0.2 percent last week, the Vedomosti newspaper reported on its web site, citing the company.

Aven, president of Alfa Bank, is co-head of CTC Media’s board of directors and bought 163,800 shares in the company, according to the report. Alfa Bank sold a 25.3 percent stake in CTC Media to OAO Bank Rossiya earlier this year, Vedomosti reported.

To contact the reporter on this story: Halia Pavliva in New York at hpavliva@bloomberg.net

To contact the editor responsible for this story: David Papadopoulos at papadopoulos@bloomberg.net

Russia Acron 9M profit up on high fertiliser demandhttp://af.reuters.com/article/commoditiesNews/idAFWLB898020111122

Tue Nov 22, 2011 7:21am GMT

MOSCOW Nov 22 (Reuters) - Russian fertiliser maker Acron said on Tuesday net profit for the first nine months of the year more than doubled, as demand and prices for its mineral fertilisers was high.

The company said for the first nine months of the year, net profit was 10.4 billion roubles ($362 million), versus 4 billion roubles the same period last year.

Revenue increased 43 percent to 46.2 billion roubles ($1.6 billion), from 32.4 billion roubles the previous year.

"Notwithstanding the significant volatility of financial and variety of commodity markets demand and prices for mineral fertilisers remain sustainably high indicating strong industry fundamentals," said chairman Alexander Popov in a press release.

Activity in the Oil and Gas sector (including regulatory)

Companies aim to raise quality of oil products

http://www.rbcnews.com/free/20111122112649.shtml

      RBC, 22.11.2011, Moscow 11:26:49.High-quality petroleum product output is expected to rise 50% starting 2015, according to agreements on refinery upgrades signed by Russian oil companies and the relevant government agencies in July, RBC Daily reported.

      Each oil company is to refine at least 20% of crude oil produced in Russia into light petroleum products.

      Oil companies have committed themselves to switching to the euro-5 gasoline standard before 2020. The agreements stipulate sanctions for companies which fail to meet the deadline.

22.11.2011

TNK-BP Vietnamese subsidary will invest $ 400 million in the county's wellshttp://www.oilandgaseurasia.com/news/p/0/news/13592

The Vietnamese subsidiary of Russia's third-largest oil company plans to invest $400 million in two undersea wells off southern Vietnam, the company announced on Monday.

Drilling of both wells in the Lan Do field will start "in the coming month", with the first gas set to flow in the fourth quarter of next year, TNK-BP said in a statement.

Lan Do is expected to produce two billion cubic metres of gas annually, and its commissioning is timed to offset a decline in production at the Lan Tay field already operated by the company. Lan Tay and Lan Do are in an area known as Block 06.1 in the Nam Con Son basin, 320 kilometres (198 miles) off southern Vietnam, where other international oil firms are also active.

TNK-BP is one of the world's top 10 private oil producers and has been seeking ways to expand its production base beyond Western Siberia.

In October 2010 TNK-BP and British giant BP announced a deal under which the Russian firm would acquire BP's stakes in upstream, pipeline and electricity assets in Vietnam and Venezuela.

TNK-BP took over operations in Block 06.1 in October.

Rosneft Issues Tender to Sell 540,000 Tons of CPC Blend Oilhttp://www.businessweek.com/news/2011-11-21/rosneft-issues-tender-to-sell-540-000-tons-of-cpc-blend-oil.html

November 21, 2011, 11:05 AM EST

By Sherry Su

(Updates with cargo size from second paragraph.)

Nov. 21 (Bloomberg) -- OAO Rosneft, Russia’s largest oil producer, offered to sell 540,000 metric tons of CPC Blend crude for loading from January to April, according to a tender document obtained by Bloomberg News.

All cargoes will be for 80,000 tons to 90,000 tons each, the document showed. The tender will close on Nov. 28.

A pipeline operated by Chevron Corp.-led Caspian Pipeline Consortium carries crude from Kazakhstan’s western fields to a terminal close to Russia’s Novorossiysk port on the Black Sea. The grade transported on this link is called CPC Blend.

--Editors: Raj Rajendran, Rob Verdonck

To contact the reporter on this story: Sherry Su in London at lsu23@bloomberg.net

To contact the editor responsible for this story: Stephen Voss at sev@bloomberg.net

November 22, 2011 11:32

Alliance Oil sees IFRS earnings plummet 26% in Q3, below forecast (Part 2)http://www.interfax.com/newsinf.asp?id=289083

MOSCOW. Nov 22 (Interfax) - Alliance Oil Company's net profit to International Financial Reporting Standards (IFRS) plummeted 26% year-on-year in Q3 to $63.1 million, the company said in a statement.

This was below the $73 million that analysts predicted in a consensus forecast for Interfax.

Revenue for Q3 grew 37% to $794.4 million and EBITDA - 34% to $173.9 million. Profit before tax dropped 20.5% to $84.1 million due to foreign currency swap revaluation loss of $18.9 million.

Q3 production was down 2.5% to 4.2 million barrels, while the Khabarovsk refinery refined 7.1 million barrels of oil - up 9%.

The company's net profit for January-September grew 27% to $209.1 million, revenue - 40% to $2.257 billion and EBITDA - 42% to $454.2 million.

Alliance Oil Company was founded in 2008 by the merger of West Siberian Resources and the oil company Alliance.

Pr Eb

(Our editorial staff can be reached at eng.editors@interfax.ru)

Gazprom

Alexander Ananenkov and Kim Yong Jae discuss prospects for cooperation in energy sector between Russia and North Koreahttp://www.gazprom.com/press/news/2011/november/article123835/

21.11.2011 18:20

The Gazprom headquarters hosted today a working meeting between Alexander Ananenkov, Deputy Chairman of the Company’s Management Committee and Kim Yong Jae, Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of the Democratic People's Republic of Korea to the Russian Federation.

The meeting participants addressed the current issues of the Russian-Korean cooperation in the gas sector. In particular, the parties discussed the practical approaches to implementation of the project for natural gas transmission from Russia to the Korean Peninsula outlined in the Memorandum of Understanding between Gazprom and North Korea’s Ministry of Oil Industry.

UPDATE 1-Gazprom sees lower Q1 Europe consumer gas priceshttp://www.reuters.com/article/2011/11/21/russia-gazprom-prices-idUSL5E7ML35K20111121

Mon, Nov 21 2011

(Adds further quotes, detail, context)

By Aleksandar Vasovic

PANCEVO, Serbia, Nov 21 (Reuters) - Russia's pipeline gas export monopoly Gazprom expects a slight fall in prices paid by European consumers in the first quarter of 2012, its chief executive officer said on Monday.

"At the beginning of next year's first quarter we will have a small decrease of gas prices," Alexei Miller told reporters. He declined to say by how much he saw them falling.

European consumers were paying an average of $446 per 1,000 cubic metres of gas in November.

Total Russian exports to Europe are forecast at 152 billion cubic metres this year.

"The level of export of Gazprom gas to European markets in 2012 will be higher than this year," Miller said, adding that the opening this month of the new Nord Stream pipeline under the Baltic Sea to Germany would play a part.

"It will be influenced by the start of operations of the Nord Stream," he said. As of November, Russia started sending its gas -- at a pace of 27.5 billion metres a year -- through the North Stream pipeline under the Baltic Sea to Germany.

Earlier this month a senior Gazprom official said the company forecast an increase in European gas sales by 8 percent next year to 164 billion cubic metres.

Miller spoke on a visit to Serbia where Gazprom and Serbian gas monopoly Srbijagas launched an underground gas storage, as well as a new command room at the Pancevo oil refinery, in which its oil arm Gazprom Neft holds a majority stake.

Serbia, which imports almost all of its annual gas needs from Russia through a single pipeline coming across Hungary via Ukraine, is looking to broaden its supply routes.

The effort includes participating in the South Stream pipeline project through a joint venture with Gazprom.

Serbia started work on the underground gas storage facility in 2009 with an active capacity of 450 million cubic metres and maximum capacity to extract 5 million cubic metres of gas per day.

The total investment into the 400-km Serbian portion of South Stream is estimated at 1.8 billion euros ($2.4 billion), Srbijagas General Manager Dusan Bajatovic said.

In 2010 Srbijagas and Gazprom agreed to set up the joint venture, in which Gazprom holds a 51 percent stake, to manage the storage.

The deal is part of wider energy pact between Serbia and Russia that included the sale of a majority stake in Serbia's oil monopoly NIS to Gazprom Neft. ($1 = 0.743 Euros) (Writing by Maja Zuvela; Editing by Michael Kahn and Anthony Barker)

The Shtokman Fieldhttp://english.ruvr.ru/2011/11/22/60808237.html

Nov 22, 2011 11:51 Moscow Time

The Arctic Region is one of Russia’s strategically important areas and among the Russian Federation’s priority projects for the Arctic is the development of the Shtokman Field. It is located in the central part of the Russian sector of the Barents Sea, 600 kilometers northeast of Murmansk, in area where the sea depths are up to 340 meters.

The Shtokman field is among the world’s top ten with its reserves being estimated at nearly 4 trillion cubic meters of natural gas and about 56 million tons of gas condensate.

Pipeline gas production will start in 2016 with the Russian-French-Norwegian Shtokman Development AG consortium, founded in 2008, in charge of the first phase of the project. The consortium will continue to run the project for 25 years after it has been put into full operation.

Russia’s Gazprom owns 51% of the shares of the project, the French concern Total 25% and the Norwegian Statoil 24%. The three giants plan to implement the most advanced technologies in all phases of the project as well as guaranteeing security and the efficient management of all operations related to the field.

The large scale of operations in the harsh conditions of the Arctic call for the creation of brand new solutions, this and the fact that its production area is located far beyond the Arctic Circle, make the Shtokman Project unique.

Due to the extreme Arctic conditions, all construction and assembly work will have to be completed in a very short period of time. Experts have repeatedly observed icebergs near the exploration area and the field’s remoteness from the coastline makes it difficult to deliver supplies and maintain the operation of the equipment and the infrastructure facilities.

Companies operating the Shtokman field will employ top-of-the-line technology, an underwater production system and floating platforms.

A flexible pipeline system will connect floating platforms with a special ice-resistant collection vessel which will be one of the largest worldwide. It will have about 25,000 tons of displacement and be 330 meters long and three football pitches in size.

The vessel will house a power station, a number of gas compressors, gas production equipment and living quarters for the crews.

Gas will be pumped via a 550 kilometer long twin pipeline to an onshore Liquefied Natural Gas plant with a capacity of 7.5 million tons a year near the village of Teriberka where it will hook up with another pipeline which will run from Murmansk to Volkhov and thus enter the Unified Gas Supply System of Russia where it will go on to fill the Nord Stream pipeline.

The Nord Stream’s first line is already in operation as of this writing and the second will be completed by the end of 2012. Nord Stream will carry gas directly to Germany and other EU countries, bypassing Ukraine.

Liquefied gas will be delivered to consumers in gas tankers by sea.

The Arctic University in Arkhangelsk is training personnel for operating the Shtokman facilities. Rector Yelena Kudryashova says that it’s important for employers to participate in developing training programs. The Arctic University is working in close cooperation with companies involved in the development of the Shtokman deposits. For years, she says, they have been training specialists for working on the Arctic sea shelf. The University has established cooperation with Gazprom, Shtokman Development, Total, and Statoil.

The Shtokman Project provides for a full production cycle, including exploration, processing and transportation. In th  e first stage it will be possible to produce 23.7 billion cubic meters of gas annually building up through the second stage and by the third stage a total production volume of over 71 billion cubic meters of natural gas and 650,000 tons of gas condensate a year will be possible. This is comparable to the yearly gas consumption of major European countries such as Germany.

Originally it had been planned to ship Shtokman's gas to the United States. However this was later reconsidered amid the rapidly growing shale gas output in the US. 

For the U.S. plans to import liquefied gas from Shtokman are not off the agenda yet. A special branch of Gazprom has been formed in the U.S. called Gazprom Marketing & Trading USA, which will look into the possibility of organizing LNG supplies from the Shtokman deposits and has clinched work contracts with 100 players on the U.S. gas market.

While the Northern Sea Route becomes more and more operational, there are plans to pump Shtokman gas to Asian markets as well. Gas talks are already under way with Indian companies and Gazprom has agreed on LNG supplies to India at a total volume of up to 7.5 million tons a year over a period of 25 years.

Thanks in part to the Shtokman field, Gazprom will sell gas on all the major markets of the world and will be able to regulate gas supply volumes depending on the situation on the global market.

The Shtokman project will bring Russia’s Arctic gas to global energy markets in the very near future.