By John Helmer in Moscow Victor Vekselberg, the chairman of the board of UC Rusal, went on trial in the Federal Penal Tribunal of Switzerland this week, charged with sharemarket violations, and facing a fine of 40 million Swiss francs ($40 million). That, according to the report of Le Temps today (see illustration), is the […]

by John Helmer - Thursday, September 16th, 2010
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By John Helmer in Moscow The promoters of United Company Rusal at Bloomberg have kicked off a new marketing campaign for Oleg Deripaska’s heavily indebted aluminium company, disclosing this week that “Rusal is planning Russia’s first offering of bonds in China, spurred by McDonald’s Corp.’s debut sale in yuan.” A roadshow to test whether the […]

by John Helmer - Tuesday, September 7th, 2010
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By John Helmer in Moscow Even in ignominy or retirement, a big boy’s toys are worth playing with. Uralkali is Russia’s dominant producer of potash fertilizer and will soon merge with Silvinit to become the national potash champion, according to a government scheme first reported here on June 15. At the time, the head of […]

by John Helmer - Monday, September 6th, 2010
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By John Helmer in Moscow Oleg Deripaska is preparing a series of presentations to institutional investors next week in Boston and New York, chaperoned by one of his largest creditor banks, BNP Paribas. Rarely has so unconvincing a lamb been led to market by so well-known a wolf; or such an odd couple asked to […]

by John Helmer - Wednesday, September 1st, 2010
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Senator Bob Brown (left image) is the first Australian politician to call for official accountability in the secret dealings the Australian Government has had since 2004 with Oleg Deripaska. He is chief executive and controlling shareholder of United Company Rusal, the Russian aluminiun monopoly registered on the island of Jersey.

by John Helmer - Thursday, July 29th, 2010
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By John Helmer in Moscow A $200 million road construction project in Kenya, one of the country’s biggest infrastructure investments, is being delayed by a World Bank investigation of the involvement of Oleg Deripaska. The due diligence investigation of Deripaska now under way at the World Bank is the first acknowledgement by the multilateral global […]

by John Helmer - Wednesday, July 28th, 2010
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By John Helmer in Moscow Yury Humber and the Bloomberg bureau in Moscow run by Bradley Cook have a special relationship with United Company Rusal.

by John Helmer - Monday, July 26th, 2010
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By John Helmer in Moscow The first time Vladimir Putin made the outhouse a lever of state policy was in 1999. Referring to Chechen secessionists and terrorists, he said: “If we can find them in the outhouse, we will whack them in the outhouse.” On Friday, in Chelyabinsk, he did it again. Only this time […]

by John Helmer - Monday, July 26th, 2010
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By John Helmer in Moscow Noone who knows and loves Victor Vekselberg doubts his philanthropy towards the country of his birth. He has helped finance the return of the original Danilovsky Monastery bells, sold to the US in 1930, and then donated to Harvard University. He allows his collection of Faberge eggs to tour Russian […]

by John Helmer - Friday, July 23rd, 2010
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By John Helmer in Moscow The truth hurts, speaking musculoskeletically. Vladimir Potanin (right) usually gives his nerves away when he’s under pressure by the rapid tapping of his foot under the table. Oleg Deripaska (left) shows his nerves, when gulping noises are audible in his throat and he forces a smile.

by John Helmer - Friday, July 16th, 2010
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