By John Helmer, Moscow The relationship between taste and power is what Karl Marx would have called dialectical; for today’s Russian oligarchs that’s a red flag – in the race track, not the Marxist sense of the term. The oligarchs don’t mind showing off their taste in foreign places and foreign newspapers; inside Russia they […]

by John Helmer - Wednesday, December 7th, 2011
No Comments »

By John Helmer, Moscow When Oleg Deripaska was completing his takeover of Russian Aluminium (Rusal) by buying out his partner, Roman Abramovich, the two of them agreed to arrange legal advice on the transaction from one of the leading mergers and acquisitions lawyers in London. But after she began probing the deal on her suspicion […]

by John Helmer - Tuesday, December 6th, 2011
No Comments »

By John Helmer, Moscow The Financial Times, a London newspaper, recommends that under your Christmas tree you put a book called Snowdrops by A.D. Miller, who was the Moscow correspondent of The Economist between 2004 and 2007. According to the recommendation, “it’s a sinister, seductive read that paints a murky moral portrait of the new […]

by John Helmer - Monday, December 5th, 2011
No Comments »

By John Helmer, Moscow Monkeys throw their excrement at their enemies – this is well-known among zoologists. But it happens only when monkeys are caged, not in the wild. The reason for this is obvious — free-ranging monkeys instinctively run away from their shit as quickly as possible, to evade predators. But if they are […]

by John Helmer - Saturday, December 3rd, 2011
No Comments »

By John Helmer, Moscow Michael Wilson, a Kazakhstan-based lawyer specializing in mining and natural resources, has won a judgement from Australia’s highest court, reinstating a December 2009 award of more than $11 million. The five-year record of litigation has nailed three Australian lawyers — John Emmott, Robert Nicholls, and David Slater – for nicking clients, […]

by John Helmer - Friday, December 2nd, 2011
No Comments »

By John Helmer, Moscow In American legend, Johnny Appleseed is the epitome of self-sacrificing kindness and charity to his fellow man. But he didn’t exactly give away his apple seeds. Johnny was a professional nurseryman – he gave seeds to friends and neighbours for planting in nurseries. The concessionaires and stakeholders then sold the trees […]

by John Helmer - Thursday, December 1st, 2011
No Comments »