What the Papers Say, Jan. 28, 2013

Kommersant

1. Anatoly Dzhumaylo et al. report headlined "Duty check-up" says new director-general of Norilsk Nickel mining and metallurgical company Vladimir Potanin has asked President Putin to cancel export duties for the company. The federal budget makes 500m dollars on the duties. Meanwhile, the company has to spend money on high dividends which shareholders agreed upon during the reconciliation talks; pp 1, 7 (830 words).

2. Sergei Mashkin article headlined "Investigation paves way to Anatoly Serdyukov" says criminal proceedings were initiated due to the abuse of office committed by "unidentified officials from the Defense Ministry" during the construction of a road to the summer cottage of former minister Anatoly Serdyukov's brother-in-law; pp 1, 3 (972 words).

3. Mikhail Servo and Oleg Gavrish article headlined "Gazprom writes out fine for Ukraine" says the Russian gas monopoly, Gazprom, demands that Ukraine pay 7bn dollars as a fine for the gas it planned to buy but did not do so in 2012; pp 1, 7 (679 words).

4. Pavel Belavin and Roman Rozhkov article headlined "Scull and hosting" outlines measures against on-line piracy drafted by the Russian Culture Ministry. Hosting providers and website owners will have to remove pirate content from their websites after copyright holders ask them to do so, otherwise they will face suspension of their websites; pp 1, 7 (600 words).

5. Viktor Khamrayev article headlined "Religious feelings do not have particular criminal meaning" says the Russian cabinet has spoken out against the State Duma plans to pass the law on the religious feelings offense. The government says the existing laws give enough legal grounds for punishing hooligans; p 2 (546 words).

6. Anna Pushkarskaya article headlined "Pre-trial conclusion made for law on rallies" says the Venice Commission (European Commission for Democracy through Law) has backed the Russian opposition and criticized the law on rallies; p 3 (673 words).

7. Yulia Rybina et al. report headlined "Early taking of powers" says Ramzan Abdulatipov has declared himself acting head of Dagestan. The announcement was made before Moscow officially confirmed the plans; p 3 (701 words).

8. Olga Allenova article headlined "Double orphans" says not all of the Russian orphans whose adoption by US parents was completed are now able to leave Russia despite the assurances of the Russian authorities that they would be able to do so; p 4 (1,963 words).

9. Alexei Sokovnin article headlined "European Court of Human Rights finds articles for Yukos employee" says the ruling of the European Court of Human Rights, which found the trial of former Yukos employee Alexei Pichugin to be unjust, has come into effect; p 5 (560 words).

10. Gennady Sysoyev article headlined "Cyprus changes recipient of assistance" looks ahead at the presidential election in Cyprus as the country is waiting for financial assistance from the EU and Russia; p 6 (656 words).

11. Sergei Strokan article headlined "Egypt threatened with football revolution" says the Egyptian authorities cannot cope with mass disturbances launched by football fans in the country; p 6 (462 words).

12. Maria Yefimova article headlined "France and Chad start winning in Mali" report on the progress in the French operation against Islamists in Mali; p 6 (393 words).

Nezavisimaya Gazeta

1. Sergei Kulikov article headlined "Mega regulator Kudrin" says former Finance Minister Aleksey Kudrin is expected to become new head of the Russian Central Bank after the term in office of the present bank's chairman, Sergei Ignatyev, expires; pp 1, 4 (734 words).

2. Alexandra Samarina article headlined "Taking scenery to pieces" says Washington has decided to withdraw from the working group of the Russian-U.S. presidential commission for the development of civil society. Experts believe the move to be the logical result of the Russian foreign policy; pp 1, 3 (889 words).

3. Tatyana Ivzhenko article headlined "Ukraine does not intend to pay fine to Gazprom" says Kiev does not want to pay 7bn dollars worth of a fine for the Russian gas it did not buy in 2012; pp 1, 7 (1,107 words).

4. Vladimir Mukhin article headlined "Battlefield generals return to ranks" says a number of generals sacked by former Defense Minister Anatoly Serdyukov are to be returned to military service; pp 1-2 (624 words).

5. Anton Khodosevich article headlined "Dollar bonds offered to Belarussians" says the Belarussian authorities are issuing bonds to borrow 50m dollars from people and pay their debt to the IMF; pp 1, 7 (772 words).

6. Nikolai Surkov article headlined "Egyptian youth do not leave barricades" says mass disturbances continue in Egypt as the youth are marking the first anniversary of the Tahrir revolution; pp 1, 8 (535 words).

7. Editorial headlined "Patriotism standard for living wage" criticizes the government for drafting yet another list of books schoolchildren should read as the rating cause controversy in Russian society; p 2 (507 words).

8. Alexei Gorbachev article headlined "Dmitry Medvedev's reasonable expediency" comments on Prime Minister Dmitry Medvedev's interview with Russian and foreign media in which he summed up the results of his presidency and admitted his failure to reduce corruption; p 3 (740 words).

9. Ivan Rodin article headlined "Copyright for internet" says the Russian Culture Ministry has drafted a bill giving another reasons for blocking websites. This time copyright holders would be able to block websites suspected of piracy even without the relevant court rulings; p 3 (501 words).

10. Igor Naumov article headlined "George Soros frightens investors" says billionaire investor has warned businesses against investing in the Russian economy which he said was falling apart. The warning as made at the Davos forum, where the Russian delegation tried to impress potential investors; p 4 (559 words).

11. Vladimir Skosyrev article headlined "Pyongyang threatens with coercion" says North Korea pledged to step up work on its nuclear program following the UN resolution. Pyongyang is displeased with all of its neighbors including China; p 8 (601 words).

Vedomosti

1. Maxim Tovkaylo et al. report headlined "Privatization is Russia's internal affair" says Russian President Putin has decided that the state assets will be sold only in Russia, but not at foreign stock-exchanges; pp 1, 4 (502 words).

2. Yelena Khodyakova article headlined "Compromise for 7bn dollars" says experts believe Gazprom is simply trying to frighten Ukraine with its hefty fine for the failure to buy all of the gas it initially planned; pp 1, 10 (415 words).

3. Editorial headlined "Tolerance threshold" reviews the plans to raise housing taxes in Russia and highlights shortcomings of the new taxation scheme; pp 1, 6 (478 words).

4. Maksim Glikin et al. report headlined "Authorities do not need parties" says former head of Rosmolodezh youth agency Vasiliy Yakimenko and presidential envoy to Urals Igor Kholmanskikh have given up plans to set up their political parties, as the Kremlin does not need any political opposition; p 2 (622 words).

5. Article by Grigory Yavlinskiy, one of the founders of the Yabloko opposition party, headlined "Russia and USA: continuity of best" calls for stopping the "shameful" anti-American policy and looking for ways of cooperating with the USA; p 6 (768 words).

6. Irina Novikova et al. report headlined "Pozner can be forgiven" says sources in the Kremlin have confirmed that the State Duma accepted the apologies of Channel One heavyweight journalist Vladimir Pozner and will not pass a law banning the work of people with double citizenship on federal TV channels; p 3 (463 words).

7. Another editorial headlined "To clarify feelings" looks into the reasons which made the Russian authorities send the bill on religious feelings for additional revision; p 6 (246 words).

Izvestia

1. Mikhail Rubin et al. report headlined "Luzhkov to become Prokhorov's adviser at elections" says ex-mayor of Moscow Yuriy Luzhkov is to assist billionaire Mikhail Prokhorov in preparation for the election to the Moscow city duma; pp 1, 3 (637 words).

2. Mariya Kiseleva article headlined "Russian officials want to fly Sukhoi Business Jet" says would be buyers from Russia have got interested in Sukhoi Business Jet plane project. Tatarstan head may buy the plane; pp 1, 4 (695 words).

3. Taras Podrez and Mikhail Vignanskiy article headlined "Russian-Georgian border to work 24 hours a day" says the only border control point on the Russian-Georgian border is to work 24 hours a day; pp 1, 4 (741 words).

4. Anastasiya Kashevarova and Yegor Sozayev-Guryev article headlined "Vladimir Putin keeps extreme hobbies" says President Putin has fully recovered from his back injury and plans to play hockey, dive and visit the Antarctic, his press secretary said; p 2 (424 words).

5. Vladimir Dergachev interview with A Just Russia chairman Nikolay Levichev speaking on the Russian opposition and the participation of the party members in the work of the opposition Coordination Council; p 3 (1,019 words).

6. Alexei Mikhaylov and Vladimir Voloshin article headlined "Caspian flotilla to get three Buyan [ships]" says the Russian Defense ministry has signed a contract with the United Shipbuilding Corporation to build three missile ships of Buyan-M type; p 5 (488 words).

7. Aleksey Andreyev interview with Kazakhstan Foreign Minister Yerlan Idrisov speaking on a dispute with Moscow over the use of the Baykonur cosmodrome; p 7 (403 words).

Rossiiskaya Gazeta

1. Tatyana Zykova article headlined "Horrible payment" criticises the plans to increase taxation entrepreneurs making little money a year, as they will strip around 4m people of their additional income; pp 1, 6 (691 words).

2. Yekaterina Zabrodina article headlined "Revolution going round" says Egypt is on the verge of a civil war as clashes between the authorities and their opponents broke out at the first anniversary of Tahrir revolution; pp 1, 5 (599 words).

Moskovsky Komsomolets

1. Yeva Merkacheva article headlined "Secret services mistaken with meeting" reports on the law-enforcement agencies raid at the meeting of Russian criminal leaders in Moscow; pp 1, 3 (719 words).

2. Konstantin Smirnov and Vasiliy Mironov article headlined "Triumphant return of Borzhomi" says Georgian wine and soft drinks are to return to Russia as the two countries are restoring economic ties; pp 1-2 (488 words).

3. Marina Ozerova article headlined "Shameful government" comments on the Russian government's stance on the controversial bill on offence of religious feelings; pp 1-2 (665 words).

Novaya Gazeta

1. Kirill Rogov article headlined "Searching for new Putin's majority" says the Russian authorities are launching a fight with homosexuality to prevent people from thinking about real economic and political problems; p 7 (872 words).

2. Pavel Felgengauer article headlined "Farewell to Mistral" says the ambitious re-armament programme launched by the previous Defence Minister is being wound down in Russia; p 12 (740 words).

3. Nikita Girin article headlined "Gays, Slavs and OMON" features a report on clashes between LGBT movement activists and Christian activists outside the State Duma building on the day the bill banning homosexual propaganda was passed in the first reading; p 8 (800 words).

RBK Daily

1. Ivan Petrov et al. article headlined "Lost and found office for yachts and villas" says that a new body is to be established under either the Prosecutor General's office, the Investigations Committee or the Federal Tax Service in order to track officials' property; pp 1-2 (800 words).

2. Yulia Yakovleva article headlined "Establishing reputation" says that two deputies of the Yaroslavl Region have been involved in a R400m fraud scandal; p 2 (500 words).

3. Svetlana Makunina article headlined "Coffee for 7.5m euro" comments on the latest developments around CPRF deputy Konstantin Shirshov, who is suspected in selling deputy seats in Duma and is expected to be stripped of his deputy's immunity; p 2 (400 words).

4. Alexander Litoy article headlined "Saving Solidarnost" says that opposition activists are trying to save one of the most well-known brands of the street opposition, the Solidarnost (Solidarity) opposition movement; p 2 (300 words).

Novyye Izvestiya

1. Nadezhda Krasilova article headlined "Deputies' emotional education" says that the Cabinet of Ministers has recommended the State Duma to reconsider the bill protecting believers' religious feelings; pp 1-2 (500 words).

2. Vera Moslakova article headlined "Electoral democracy" looks into the details of the bill allowing the Russian regions to abandon direct gubernatorial elections; pp 1-2 (1,100 words).

3. Yulia Savina article headlined "Exemplary petition" says that opposition activists have filed their petitions with the Presidential Administration, demanding that the death of opposition activist Aleksandr Dolmatov is properly and thoroughly investigated; p 2 (400 words).

4. Yulia Savina article headlined "You can't have the best of both worlds" says that the A Just Russia party has presented an ultimatum to its four members, demanding that they cease to participate in opposition activities. Gennadiy Gudkov and Dmitriy Gudkov, however, have ignored the request and have not left the opposition Coordination council; p 2 (500 words).

5. Veronika Kogan article headlined "Empty detention facilities" comments on a check performed by Moscow activists who visited more than 20 Moscow police stations; p 5 (500 words).

Komsomolskaya Pravda

1. Vasiliy Basov article headlined "Krymsk residents asked to return part of compensation" says that Krymsk residents have been asked to return the money they received after the flood proceeding from the premise that there were mistakes in the initial calculations; p 5 (500 words).

2. Yevgeny Belyakov article headlined "There are is only oil and corruption there" features comments of foreign business people on business climate in Russia; p 10 ( 1,200 words).

Jan. 28, 2013/BBC Monitoring/©BBC