Of 86 companies surveyed in Russia, 71 of them — 82.5 percent — said they had been subjected to at least one major economic crime in the past 12 months, according to a report released by PricewaterhouseCoopers.

In July, Medvedev criticized the country’s road safety record, calling the situation “monstrous” after a series of fatal bus and car crashes left dozens dead.

Magnitsky did not die by chance. He died because corrupt Interior Ministry officers killed him.

While public opinion on the matter remains mixed, the Kremlin and government have both said they do not want executions to resume, and praise flooded in from human rights groups.

Medvedev wasn’t calling on officials to cut the crap. He was telling them to stop playing the big shot.

The Kremlin announced the departure of Lesin on Tuesday in a terse statement, saying Lesin left “at his own request.”

The ruling party will look to cement an ideological platform at its congress.

In announcing the violations at Rosagroleasing, the Prosecutor General’s Office did not name Agriculture Minister Yelena Skrynnik or any other executives, but it cast a shadow on her tenure as chief executive of the company.

The Mortgage Lending Agency last week put the average fixed mortgage rate in dollars at 14.8 percent, while the average fixed rate in rubles was 18.1 percent.

RusAl plans to raise capital by placing 10 percent of its shares in an initial public offering on the Hong Kong Stock Exchange.