Russia's delayed privatization plan includes the sale of a small stake in pipeline monopoly Transneft alongside a host of other companies over the coming six years, according to a schedule distributed by the Economic Development...

Deputy Prime Minister Igor Sechin asked the government to sell its stake in Novorossiisk Commercial Sea Port directly to state-owned oil firm Rosneft, bypassing the normal privatization service. Deputy Prime Minister Igor Sechin asked the government to sell its stake in Novorossiisk Commercial Sea Port directly to state-owned oil firm Rosneft, bypassing the normal privatization service. In a letter to Prime Minister Vladimir...

... its stake to less than a controlling interest. The company would also automatically lose the right to future development of Russia's continental shelf. The Energy Ministry does not think that it is wise to amend legislation for the sake of Rosneft's privatization. The procedure for allowing state companies access to federal-status license blocks "is a strategic decision of the Russian government, enshrined in the corresponding federal law," the letter states. The same arguments were made...

A $4.2 billion pipeline into Norway's Arctic to bring natural gas to European markets must be funded by the private sector, and the government does not intend to take a financial role. OSLO — A $4.2 billion pipeline into Norway's Arctic to bring natural gas to European markets must be funded by the private sector, and the government does...

... bound to generate lasting resentment by the majority. It is the latter that presidential candidate Vladimir Putin decided to use as a campaign issue when he announced last week that Russia's business tycoons should pay a fee to win public acceptance of privatization deals they benefited from in the 1990s. Whether Putin will follow through with this campaign promise is an open question. After all, most of Russia's surviving "robber barons" have been recently both more law-abiding and loyal...

... time, there are a number of reasons to be optimistic about the future. First, it is clear that the basic laws of economics apply just as much to Russia as they do everywhere else. Responsible macroeconomic policies, market-based pricing policies and private property are the driving forces behind economic growth. Once a large part of the economy had been privatized by the end of the 1990s, most prices were unregulated, the budget was balanced, inflation was brought under control and the economy began...

... in front of Thursday’s forum, Putin elaborated on efforts to improve the business environment. One crucial measure that he proposed to boost business’s trust was to “draw the curtain” on the issue of the “unfair” privatization in the 1990s that was conducted through auctions. It is widely believed that state assets were sold to the oligarchs having close ties with the government. One possible option to eliminate the problem, Putin said, would be charging the businessmen...

... population. For example, one of Putin's proposed measures is a luxury tax, but it has done little to inspire citizens and is unlikely to win him many votes. Another proposal is a one-time tax on large assets that were obtained during the controversial privatizations during the 1990s. This has the potential to bring major political dividends because voters would feel that a prior wrong had been at least partially righted if those who profited the most from the privatizations were now forced to pay large...

... of strict fiscal discipline, balanced budgets and a focus on instituting structural reforms to the pension system, energy sector, housing and utilities and health care; Lowering the tax burden, which paid off as total tax collections increased; The privatization of state shares in companies, which sent a clear signal that the economy would rely on private initiative and fair competition as the chief engines of growth; And the strengthening of relations with developed countries so that Russia could...

... Development Minister Elvira Nabiullina said Tuesday that she opposed the proposed transfer of the state's stake in Novorossiisk Commercial Sea Port to Rosneft, urging an open-market sale instead. Deputy Prime Minister Igor Sechin, who opposes plans to privatize state assets, wrote to Prime Minister Vladimir Putin to propose that Rosneft take over the government's 20 percent stake in the port. "We stand for privatizing the stake currently held by the government," Nabiullina told reporters...

... consolidation" supposedly is less likely to default on its debt or leave it for the future to pay. This will, it is thought, enable the government to borrow money more cheaply than it would otherwise be able to do — in turn lowering interest rates for private borrowers, which should boost economic activity. So fiscal consolidation is the royal road to economic recovery. This is the official doctrine of most developed countries today and contains at least five major fallacies, which pass largely unnoticed...

... to Davos as well, agreed there is too much state influence on business. Despite all the talk against a state-dominated economy, Shuvalov indicated again, on the forum's sidelines, that the government was in no hurry to pull out of its prize assets. Privatizations scheduled for this year may move back if the price is not right, he said. With all the delays amid market volatility, asset sales last year earned the government a record price in the past 10 years, RIA-Novosti reported. The privatizations...

... also put VTB Capital on the map. "VTB built its investment-banking franchise by buying talent during the last crisis while most banks were just fighting to survive," said Jason Hurwitz, a financial analyst at Alfa Bank, the country's largest private bank. Acquisitions have always been a critical part of VTB's growth. Of the bank's 12 major buyouts in the last decade, two were in 2011. The $3 billion purchase of TransCreditBank, Russia's 13th-largest bank by assets, was relatively uncontroversial...

... offered by the Sberbank group, it's right that we are called Sberbank." The CIB division of Sberbank will be co-led by Vardanian and Sberbank executive Alexander Bazarov. Sberbank's wealth management department, which will sell investment products to private clients and include asset management and private banking, will be headed by Vardanian and another Sberbank executive, Bella Zlatkis. Sucher said he first got involved with Troika Dialog after he met Vardanian in 1993. "For so many people...

... between certain media outlets and politics, and the deepening political crisis resulting from mass anti-government protests are producing unprecedented heaps of mud in the ongoing presidential campaign. Methods include leaked audio and video recordings of private conversations, a tested practice to discredit politicians. Leaked e-mail is also proving to be a popular tool. Lastly, camera crews have started appearing outside embassies just when opposition leaders meet with Western diplomats. Prominent victims...

Tabloid news website Life News did not break the law in publishing private telephone conversations of opposition leader Boris Nemtsov, because the information contained in the recordings served the public interest, Life News lawyer Tatyana Khokhlova said Wednesday. Tabloid news website Life News did not break the...

Russia's $10 billion sovereign private equity fund is making its first investment, buying a stake in the country's MICEX-RTS stock market with the aim of boosting the exchange's IPO hopes and helping develop Moscow's rudimentary capital markets. Russia’s...

... reprisal. The Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe has declined to send an observer mission to the election, saying its presence would not "add value" given the limited freedoms and lack of political competition. "There is no private or independent electronic media and publication of the first private newspaper was permitted only recently," the OSCE Office for Democratic Institutions and Human Rights said after an assessment mission in December. Turkmenistan has no opposition...

Norilsk Nickel’s Private Pension Fund is preparing a statement for law enforcement agencies regarding damages caused to the fund by the company’s top management, headed by former chief executive and head of Onexim Group Mikhail Prokhorov. Norilsk Nickel’s Private...

The official in charge of Russia's pro-Kremlin youth groups found himself embroiled in scandal Thursday after hackers posted links to what they claimed were thousands of his private e-mail messages. The official in charge of Russia's pro-Kremlin youth groups found himself embroiled in scandal Thursday after hackers posted links to what they claimed were thousands of his private e-mail messages. The e-mails detail lavish...