Question: What measures are being taken to ensure the safety of foreigners [in Russia]? Prime Minister: That is a big problem. Unfortunately, we have all heard of very sad cases, even tragedies, that happened to foreign students in our country in the past. I think the authorities have shown a response that is commensurate with […]

by John Helmer - Monday, February 15th, 2010
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We interrupt this news bulletin to bring you a broadcast from Captain Obvious on location live above the Kremlin

by John Helmer - Monday, February 15th, 2010
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DOCUMENT-1

by John Helmer - Tuesday, February 9th, 2010
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By John Helmer in Moscow The federal mine inspectorate in Russia, Rostekhnadzor (RTN), has cleared Evraz’s mine subsidiary Yuzhkuzbassugol (YKU) to reopen the Esaulskaya mine, after a methane accident on January 20 led to a regional court-ordered closure on January 25. Evraz is owned by Roman Abramovich’s Millhouse holding, and Alexander Abramov.

by John Helmer - Monday, February 8th, 2010
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The technical team, which is responsible for security of this website, reports that 830 MB of logs of malicious software have been identified as having been launched recently against this website. For internet technicians, this is a highly unusual, possibly a record-setting volume. Most specialists report that 5 to 10 MB of such logs is […]

by John Helmer - Thursday, February 4th, 2010
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By John Helmer in Moscow Victor Chernomyrdin, one of the creators of Gazprom and Boris Yeltsin’s prime minister from 1992 to 1998, once famously said :“we wanted to do the best, but it came out as always”. What the sly duffer meant was: “we tried to serve a better interest than our own, but only […]

by John Helmer - Sunday, January 31st, 2010
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By John Helmer in Moscow Evraz, Russia’s largest vertically integrated steel group, has been ordered by the federal mine safety agency Rostekhnadzor (RTN) and a Kemerovo court to stop production at the Esaulskaya mine, in the Kemerovo region, until inspectors have resolved reported methane problems. Esaulskaya is one of several mines in the wholly owned […]

by John Helmer - Friday, January 29th, 2010
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By John Helmer in Moscow A deteriorating personal relationship between chief shareholders, and growing financial pressures on loss-making Far Eastern Shipping Company (Fesco), the Russian multimodal transportation leader, have led to a buyout offer for Fesco’s 50% stake in the National Container Company (NCC), which operates the First Container Terminal of St. Petersburg, the biggest […]

by John Helmer - Thursday, January 28th, 2010
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By John Helmer in Moscow Russia’s anti-trust buster, the Federal Antimonopoly Service (FAS), has established a record of making much ado about little; and of regulating only those corners of the Russian market where no oligarch-sized interest is threatened – unless the threat is pre-authorized by the Kremlin’s running orders. But this week the agency […]

by John Helmer - Wednesday, January 27th, 2010
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By John Helmer in Moscow Tax-free exports of crude oil from Kozmino, on the Sea of Japan — Russia’s newest oil tanker loading terminal — may be eliminated by April, after a showdown last Friday between the oil industry tsar, Deputy Prime Minister Igor Sechin, and the budget tsar, Finance Minister Alexei Kudrin. For the […]

by John Helmer - Tuesday, January 26th, 2010
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