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What the Papers Say, Oct. 3, 2012

Igor Tabakov

Kommersant

1. Kirill Melnikov article headlined "Igor Sechin Loses Partners" says that the Russian-British joint venture TNK-BP is withdrawing from the Russian National Oil Consortium project to extract oil in Venezuela following Surgutneftegaz; p 1 (601 words).

2. Irina Nagornykh et al. report headlined "Personnel's Special Service" says that former secret service officer Nikolai Bobrovsky has started working in the presidential administration. He will become yet another former law enforcement officer working in the Kremlin; pp 1-2 (886 words).

3. Yelizaveta Kuznetsova article headlined "Aeroflot Faces Ground" comments on an argument between Aeroflot and Sheremetyevo airport as the airline company is displeased with repeated delays of its flights caused by repairs of the takeoff runway in the airport; pp 1, 11 (629 words).

4. Yelena Chernenko interview headlined "Reset Cannot Last Forever" with Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov speaking about Russian-U.S. relations and the ousting of the USAID agency from Russia, on the Russian and Western stances on Syria and other Middle East issues; pp 1, 8 (2,714 words).

5. Ivan Safronov article headlined "Dmitry Rogozin Chases Hyper Sound" says that Deputy Prime Minister Dmitry Rogozin has said that a new holding company to develop hyper sound technologies will be set up in Russia in the near future; p 2 (492 words).

6. Maria-Luiza Tirmaste and Sergei Goryashko article headlined "No Protests on Election Agenda" says the Fund for Development of Civil Society headed by Konstantin Kostin, former head of the presidential administration internal policy directorate, has drafted a report on new preferences of the Russian electorate, in which he came to the conclusion that no political forces can challenge United Russia; p 2 (853 words).

7. Maxim Ivanov article headlined "They Will Be Able to Show Door to Observers" says that no video recordings will be made at the upcoming regional elections on Oct. 14 the Central Elections Commission has decided. The commission also plans to pass some new regulations regarding work of observers during the voting; p 2 (667 words).

8. Vladislav Trifonov article headlined "My Son Was Not Killed in Hallway" says that Sergei Magnitsky's mother has testified at the Tverskoi court against Dmitry Kratov, the doctor from the Butyrka prison, charged with negligence that resulted in the death of her son; p 3 (501 words).

9. Grigory Tumanov report "Platoon vs. Winzavod" says that the Investigative Committee has begun a pre-investigation check into the exhibition "Spiritual Abuse" at the Winzavod art center in Moscow organized to support the convicted members of the Pussy Riot group. Cossacks and Orthodox activists blocked the entrance to the gallery; p 4 (700 words).

10. Tatyana Yedovina article headlined "Iran Has to Pay With Currency for Import Support" says the value of the Iranian currency, the rial, is falling due to international sanctions and the economic policy of Tehran; p 6 (468 words).

11. Kirill Belyaninov article headlined "U.S.A. Hands Over Taliban to Pakistan" says Washington has given up attempts to hold talks with the Taliban in Afghanistan as the movement refused to meet the U.S.A. halfway; p 7 (536 words).

12. Olga Allenova article headlined "Mikheil Saakashvili Agrees With Opinion of Majority" says Georgian President Mikheil Saakashvili has admitted the failure of his party to win the majority in the parliamentary elections. The move means that the opposition will come to power peacefully in Georgia; p 7 (783 words).

13. Maria Yefimova article headlined "Russia Failed at European Session" says PACE has passed the toughest resolution on Russia in recent years. Experts, however, believe that Russia will not be expelled from the organization; p 7 (623 words).

14. Roman Rozhkov report "Compromat.ru Does Not Get Registered" says that a magistrate's court has refused to block the controversial website Compromat.ru despite a demand from the Moscow Savyolovsky Prosecutor's Office; p 12 (600 words).

Nezavisimaya Gazeta

1. Mikhail Sergeyev article headlined "Pension Argument Risks Growing Into War" says the Russian government's attempt to make the Kremlin decide the future of pension reform has not succeeded, as President Vladimir Putin instructed the cabinet to revise the draft of the reform pp 1, 4 (767 words).

2. Alexandra Samarina article headlined "Art Historians in Uniform" says the Russian authorities have chosen the language of repression to talk to society as investigators are checking an art exhibition in Moscow and attempts were made to ban the musical "Jesus Christ Superstar" in Rostov-on-Don; pp 1, 3 (1,021 words).

3. Svetlana Sukhova article headlined "Monitoring of Russia: Mission Impossible" reports on heated debates at the PACE session that has passed a resolution on Russia; pp 1, 8 (631 words).

4. Vladimir Mukhin article headlined "Post-Soviet Aviation Industry Starts Developing" analyzes the challenges the Russian aviation industry is facing as the manufacturing of military and civilian aircraft and their components is to be concentrated within the country; pp 1-2 (661 words).

5. Yury Roks article headlined "Bidzina Ivanishvili Promises and Wins" says the opposition coalition Georgian Dream has won the parliamentary elections in the country; pp 1, 7 (1,041 words).

6. Gleb Postnov article headlined "Tatarstan Republican Committee Plays Giveaway Game" reports on an internal party conspiracy against Khafiz Mirgalimov, head of the Communist Party branch in Tatarstan, whose colleagues are seeking his dismissal; pp 1, 6 (585 words).

7. Editorial headlined "Innocence of Russians" says the court ruling recognizing film "Innocence of Muslims" as extremist does not take into account the multi-culture and multi-religious character of Russian society; p 2 (603 words).

8. Ivan Rodin report "A Just Russia Tested for Rupture" says that on 4 Oct. 4 State Duma Speaker Sergei Naryshkin is meeting 27 nonparliamentary parties. Experts say that a consultative council may be set up as a result of the meeting; p 3 (800 words).

9. Igor Naumov report "Vladimir Putin's Anti-Crisis Guarantees" looks at Putin's speech at the Russia Calling investment forum in Moscow; p 4 (650 words).

10. Alexander Tsipko report "Liberal Dmitry Bykov Fights Against Milestones" looks at the protest movement in Russia; p 5 (1,600 words).

11. Yury Paniyev article headlined "Iranian Rial Spins Down" says international sanctions are undermining the Iranian economy; p 8 (670 words).

12. Artur Blinov article headlined "Presidential TV Debate in Denver" looks ahead at the TV debate of the U.S. presidential candidates; p 8 (861 words).

13. Andrei Melnikov report "Offended and Confirmed" looks at the law on protection of believers' feelings; pp 1-2 of the supplement "NG Religions" (1,000 words).

14. Vladislav Maltsev report "Middle East Protests Reach Russia" says that protests against film "Innocence of Muslims" recall radical followers of Islam; p 2 of the supplement "NG Religions" (600 words).

Vedomosti

1. Milana Chelpanova article headlined "Transportation Ministry Reduces Speed" says the Transportation Ministry has failed to find funds for ambitious projects of Russian Railways, which is planning to build new high-speed lines for the World Cup championship in 2018; p 1 (566 words).

2. Dmitry Kazmin article headlined "Interior Ministry to Check Without Case" says the Interior Ministry has come out with an initiative to open cases in economic crimes only when there are complaints from victims. However, the police want to have more powers to check companies without legal proceedings being initiated; pp 1, 3 (609 words).

3. Mikhail Overchenko article headlined "Expensive Weekend for JPMorgan" says the haste with buying the Bear Stearns investment bank in 2008 has resulted in a criminal case opened against the buyer, JPMorgan Chase, suspected of mortgage fraud; pp 1, 9 (650 words).

4. Editorial headlined "Tbilisi Dreamers" says that the Georgian president has lost the election, but not the struggle for power. The article outlines the challenges the new Georgian authorities will face; pp 1, 4 (508 words).

5. Another editorial headlined "Nature Economy" comments on the environmental and economic index for the development of Russian regions calculated by WWF and the RIA-Novosti news agency; p 4 (293 words).

6. Andrei Kolesnikov article headlined "Political Economy: Ayatollah in Role of Shah" recalls the Islamic revolution in Iran and criticizes the Russian authorities for supporting the most radically minded Russian Orthodox Church believers; p 4 (426 words).

7. Maxim Glikin article headlined "Figure of Week: 54% for Opposition" says the opposition's victory in Georgia looks extraordinary for a post-Soviet state, while this is common practice in Europe; p 4 (342 words).

8. Maxim Tovkailo et al. interview with Transportation Minister Maxim Sokolov speaking on Domodedovo Airport and infrastructure projects to be implemented by the Russian government; p 5 (2,726 words).

9. Natalya Kostenko report "Elite Being Persuaded to Be Patriotic" says that the new legislative measures in relation to civil servants are the beginning of "nationalization of elites"; p 2 (600 words).

10. Alexei Nikolsky report "Plans Should Be Handed over to General Staff" says that Putin has submitted to the State Duma amendments to the law on defense; p 2 (300 words).

Izvestia

1. Dmitry Runkevich article headlined "Foreign Health Care and Education to Be Left to Officials" says United Russia wants to amend the bill prohibiting officials from owning assets abroad that allow them to study and undergo medical treatment in foreign countries; pp 1-2 (504 words).

2. Anton Lednev and Yulia Tsoi article headlined "Russian NGOs Ask Kremlin for Help" says that after the repressive bill on foreign financing of Russian NGOs had come into effect, the organizations asked the Kremlin for financial support; pp 1, 4 (732 words).

3. Svetlana Sukhova interview "I Can Arrive in Moscow and Meet Naryshkin" with PACE president Jean-Claude Mignon speaking on the Russian resolution passed by the assembly; pp 1-2 (800 words).

4. Alexander Yunashev interview "A Just Russia Will Cease to Exist" with economist Nikita Krichevsky speaking on the future of A Just Russia and the party's hesitation over the State Duma seat that should have be handed over to him after Gennady Gudkov was expelled from the parliament; p 2 (803 words).

5. Darya Mazayeva article headlined "State Duma to Teach America Democracy" says the State Duma is to discuss human rights violations in the U.S.A. at a special session on Oct. 22; p 3 (547 words).

6. Anton Lednev and Yulia Tsoi article headlined "Georgians Hope That Ivanishvili Will Restore Relations With Russia" says the Georgian opposition plans to restore relations with Russia after it won the parliamentary elections; pp 1, 7 (866 words).

7. Anna Lyalyakina interview "Zuckerberg Entices Yandex's Former Programmer" with Nikolai Yegorov, former programmer of Yandex; pp 1, 4 (600 words).

Rossiiskaya Gazeta

1. Unattributed article headlined "With Law Against Bandit" comments on the law on self-defense regulating the use of arms by individuals; pp 1-2 (600 words).

2. Alexei Chesnakov article headlined "Beyond Permissible" says the recent incident with a gunshots at a wedding in Moscow is not permissible, and Muscovites should not tolerate it; p 2 (700 words).

3. Fedor Lukyanov article headlined "NATO Without Anger or Bias" looks in depth at Russia-NATO relations and notes that the alliance has lost its power and turned into an ordinary international organization; p 4 (650 words).

4. Yevgeny Shestakov article headlined "Past to Be Written Off for Previous Regime" says Russia is expected to restore diplomatic relations with Georgia after Saakashvili's party lost the parliamentary elections; p 8 (600 words).

5. Natalya Kozlova report "Play at Defense" says that one of the convicted Pussy Riot members has rejected the services of her lawyers and features lawyers' and experts' comments on the row; p 6 (800 words).

Moskovsky Komsomolets

1. Marina Perevozkina article headlined "Georgia Elects Dream" looks at the parliamentary election results in Georgia and their impact on the political future of Saakashvili; pp 1, 3 (600 words).

2. Alexander Minkin article headlined "He Exchanges Us for Woman" criticizes Dmitriy Medvedev's work in the post of prime minister and calls for his dismissal; pp 1, 6 (1,114 words).

3. Dmitry Popov article headlined "They Strengthen Top-Down Command Structure in Judges" slams amendments to the law on judges that lift restrictions for judges to get elected as chairmen of the same court as many times as they want; p 1 (328 words).

4. Matvei Ganapolsky article headlined "Georgian Happiness" praises Georgian President Mikheil Saakashvili who did not yield to temptations of vote rigging and allowed the opposition to win the parliamentary elections; pp 1, 3 (887 words).

5. Viktoria Prikhodko report "Who Advises President?" looks at problems facing experts working with Putin; p 4 (2,000 words).

RBK Daily

1. Yulia Gallyamova article headlined "Accelerate to the East" says the Economic Development Ministry did not back a Russian Railways proposal to build a new high-speed railway between St. Petersburg and Moscow, but urged the company to establish such infrastructure in the Volga region and Siberia; p 1 (750 words).

2. Ivan Petrov article titled "Discipline Not Taking Root" says that Moscow police officers are not happy about new requirements that are being placed upon them in a bid to improve police discipline; pp 1-2 (500 words).

3. Anastasia Novikova and Svetlana Makunina article headlined "The Search Is on for a Job for Gryzlov" tips former State Duma Speaker Boris Gryzlov for a post in the presidential administration; p 2 (500 words).

4. Yulia Yakovleva article titled "Strategy of Scandal" looks at the controversies surrounding the United Russia candidate in the Kaliningrad mayoral election; p 2 (550 words).

5. Yulia Sinyayeva article titled "Short on Growth" recaps on Economic Development Minister Andrei Belousov's forecasts for Russian economic growth, which he voiced at the Russia Calling investment forum yesterday, and provides pundits' comment on the predictions; p 3 (500 words).

6. Galina Starinskaya article titled "Without Bribes and Kickbacks" looks at Vladimir Putin's comments at the Russia Calling investment forum that law enforcement bodies would follow up on allegations of corruption at Russian gas giant Gazprom; p 6 (550 words).

7. Sergei Kolobkov article titled "Culprit Found" examines the latest in the standoff between Russian air carrier Aeroflot and its home airport, Sheremetyevo; p 7 (600 words).

8. Anastasia Krivosheyeva article titled "International Man of Mystery" takes stock of Mark Zuckerberg's visit to Russia; p 10 (500 words).

Novaya Gazeta

1. Tbilisi-based Irina Gordiyenko article titled "'We Wanted Peace so Badly That We Were Getting Ready for War'" reports on the outcome of the Georgian parliamentary elections, which were won by the opposition; pp 2-3 (750 words).

2. Yulia Latynina commentary headlined "Dreamers in Power" laments the loss of the incumbent ruling party in the Georgian parliamentary elections and forecasts that the victorious Georgian Dream coalition will turn Georgians into dependents seeking state support; p 2 (840 words).

3. Yelena Kostyuchenko article titled "'Act of Friends With Bad Intentions'" mulls the possible reasons for Pussy Riot band member Yekaterina Samutsevich choosing to recuse her current counsel at appeal hearings in the Pussy Riot case on Oct. 1; p 5 (300 words).

4. Excerpt from a book by political analyst Vladimir Pastukhov titled "Generation 2012" in which the author expresses his views on the societal challenges in today's Russia that affect its progress along the path to political change; pp 7-8 (1,200 words).

5. Andrei Lipsky interview with economist Sergei Alexashenko on his views of the protest movement and the political prospects of the opposition, titled "Sergei Alexashenko: The Civic Protest Has Yet to Turn Into a Political One"; pp 10-11 (1,400 words).

6. Vasily Golovnin article headlined "'...Had Inappropriate Sexual Relations'" considers the Bo Xilai case in China; p 14 (900 words).

Komsomolskaya Pravda

1. Vladimir Vorsobin article titled "Saakashvili Swapped for Billionaire's Dream" contemplates the Georgian parliamentary elections and what their results are likely to mean for the country's political future; p 4 (500 words).

2. Interview with Georgian-born popular Russian TV host Tina Kandelaki (a vocal supporter of the Russian authorities and President Putin) on her views of the Georgian election results headlined "Tina Kandelaki: Mishiko's [President Mikheil Saakashvili's] Career Is Over!"; p 5 (400 words).

3. Alexander Bozhedomsky article titled "Scandalous A Just Russia Tradition" criticizes the way in which A Just Russia gave away Gennady Gudkov's seat to businessman Alexander Tarnavsky, which the author says is typical of the party's questionable decision-making; p 5 (500 words).

4. Alexandra Krylova article headlined "Word More Potent Than Gun: 'Shooter' From Dagestani Wedding Gets 15 Days... for Swearing" provides an update on a "celebratory" shooting in central Moscow during Dagestani wedding festivities; p 9 (400 words).

Noviye Izvestia

1. Nadezhda Krasilova article titled "Passport in the Hands of Law Enforcement" says that the new commission on citizenship issues will be dominated by law enforcement and migration service officials, and will not feature any rights activists or migration scholars, which experts see as indication of the fact that the vector of Russia's migration policies will remain unchanged; p 2 (400 words).

2. Vera Moslakova article headlined "Heading for Defense" reports on a bill tabled by President Putin with the State Duma yesterday, which seeks to shift jurisdiction over the plan for the country's security from the Defense Ministry to the president; p 2 (350 words).

3. Irina Alexidze and Gennady Savchenko article titled "'Dream' Comes True and Doesn't Come True" features comments from Russian pundits on the outcome of the Georgian election; p 2 (350 words).

Trud

1. Sergei Frolov article titled "Too Early to Drink Borjomi" comments on the Georgian parliamentary election results; p 2 (350 words).

Moskovskiye Novosti

1. Irina Novikova article headlined "Officials Buying Cars 'for Those Who Appreciate Luxury and Comfort'" says the Yabloko party has started tracking state purchases of cars that cost more than 1 million rubles (about $30,000); p 6 (250 words).

Krasnaya Zvezda

1. Alexander Alexanderov article titled "Indestructible CSTO Brotherhood" looks at preparations for the start of Collective Security Treaty Organization military drills, which will take place between Oct. 7 and 17 in Kazakhstan; pp 1, 3 (600 words).

2. Another Alexander Alexanderov article headlined "Georgian Dream Is Ahead" comments on the outcome of the parliamentary elections in Georgia; pp 1, 3 (900 words).

3. Viktor Ruchkin article titled "Damascus Calling for Dialogue Again" recaps on the latest developments, including the positions of international players, with respect to the conflict in Syria; p 3 (600 words).

Tvoi Den

1. Marina Ivanova article titled "Gamardzhoba, Genatsvale [Georgian for "Hello, Darling"]" says that members of the Georgian community in Russia hope for an improvement in ties between Russia and Georgia following the victory of the opposition in the Georgian parliamentary elections; p 2 (200 words).

Oct. 3, 2012/BBC Monitoring/©BBC

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