By John Helmer, Moscow Anonymous reports about Alisher Usmanov usually appear because he is selling or buying something, and wants to advertise his price. Or else they are there because Usmanov’s rivals and critics are at work. A report from London on Sunday that Usmanov is about to clinch a deal with the Japanese trader […]

by John Helmer - Tuesday, October 26th, 2010
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By John Helmer in Moscow Today the news comes to you from Homer, with Odysseus doing the talking: “We came to the land of the Kyklopes race, arrogant lawless beings who leave their livelihoods to the deathless gods and never use their own hands to sow or plough; yet with no sowing and no ploughing, […]

by John Helmer - Thursday, October 21st, 2010
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By John Helmer in Moscow The US Government has decided not to let Victor Vekselberg off so easily. The US District Attorney for the Southern District of New York (Manhattan) has filed for an extension of time to allow the Justice Department in Washington to consider a detailed brief, arguing that Vekselberg should face the […]

by John Helmer - Sunday, October 17th, 2010
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By John Helmer in Moscow With just a week to go before Oleg Deripaska asks Norilsk Nickel’s international shareholders to vote in favour of his hostile takeover of the company, the UK High Court has ordered an end to Deripaska’s tactics towards former patron and partner, Michael Cherney (Chernoy); dismissed more of Deripaska’s claims about […]

by John Helmer - Thursday, October 14th, 2010
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By John Helmer in Moscow Gennady Timchenko and his allies in state-controlled companies in the Russian oil business are gradually consolidating their dominance over much of Russian oil from the wellhead to the tanker enroute to international markets, and much of the transportation network in between. As the largest energy exporter in the world, Russia […]

by John Helmer - Wednesday, October 13th, 2010
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By John Helmer in Moscow The US Court of Appeals for the Second Circuit (New York) decided yesterday that the US racketeering statute can reach Russian wrongdoers only if their deeds are done on American territory. Running the loot, laundering, or spending it through US banks and bank accounts, or on American real estate and […]

by John Helmer - Wednesday, September 29th, 2010
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By John Helmer in Moscow Victor Vekselberg was acquitted today by a Swiss court in Bellinzone of charges of illegal stock market manipulation in his 2006 takeover of Oerlikon, a major Swiss enterprise.

by John Helmer - Thursday, September 23rd, 2010
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By John Helmer in Moscow The US has responded with a powerful SOS for reporters, setting in motion a model for similar protections worldwide. SOS stands for Sod Off Schillings. The new American legislation will make it impossible for practical purposes for Russians to attack American reporting of their activities by suing them or their […]

by John Helmer - Wednesday, September 22nd, 2010
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By John Helmer in Moscow According to the Chinese tradition, the original Budai (aka Laughing Buddha) was an eccentric Zen Buddhist monk. He lived in the Fenghua province during the Late Liang Dynasty in the first years of the 10th century. His name translates into English as “Promise this”.

by John Helmer - Monday, September 20th, 2010
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By John Helmer in Moscow The west African republic of Guinea has never before been so important to Russian mining companies – and to the even bigger internationals. So when Guinean voters go to the polls for the runoff round of their presidential election, much is at stake – and not only for our Russian […]

by John Helmer - Friday, September 17th, 2010
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