What the Papers Say, Aug. 12, 2013

Kommersant

1. Yegor Popov and Yelizaveta Kuznetsova article headlined "Russian Helicopters have their commander replaced" says the Rostec state corporation does not plan to prolong the contract of the head of the Vertolety Rossii (Russian helicopters) holding, Dmitry Petrov. Alexander Mikheyev, who is in charge of aviation in Rosoboronexport state company, is likely to take the post; p 1 (657 words).

2. Petr Netreba and Dmitry Butrin interview with Economic Development Minister Alexei Ulyukayev speaking on the development projects to be implemented in Russia and support to small businesses; pp 1, 4 (2,587 words).

3. Alexei Shapovalov article headlined "Crude production" reviews the forestry policy project drafted by the government and notes that the document lacks specific measures to be taken to protect forests; pp 1, 3 (604 words).

4. Oleg Trutnev article headlined "Vladimir Putin receives message in bottle" says alcohol manufacturers have appealed to President Putin asking him not to raise excise duties on strong spirits until 2017. They complain about the growing illegal alcohol production in Russia; pp 1, 8 (743 words).

5. Taisia Bekbulatova article headlined "Sergei Sobyanin not to talk to his rivals" says candidate for Moscow mayor and acting head of the city Sergei Sobyanin has refused to take part in the election debates. The first debate will be broadcast by Moskva-24 television channel Monday; p 2 (447 words).

6. Sofya Samokhina et al. report headlined "No-one donates money to new parties" says new political parties have failed to receive enough financial support ahead of the regional election campaign; p 2 (538 words).

7. Article attributed to the paper's political section headlined "Regional election commissions screen out United Russia members" says the growing number of political parties has resulted in the "migration" of some candidates from United Russia to other parties, Civil Platform in particular; p 2 (694 words).

8. Ivan Safronov article headlined "Missiles given month to prepare for space launches" says the launches of Zenit, Rokot and possibly Proton rockets will be resumed in September; p 3 (457 words).

9. Andrei Kolesnikov article headlined "Master of start" reports on the opening of the World Athletics Championships in Moscow attended by President Putin; p 5 (1,179 words).

10. Pavel Tarasenko et al. report headlined "Reset paused" says the U.S. has suspended cooperation with Russia in many important areas. The Foreign Ministry believes President Obama has been forced to change his policy. Moscow, however, does not plan to take any response measures against the U.S.; p 6 (732 words).

Nezavisimaya Gazeta

1. Anastasia Bashkatova article headlined "Worst year for president" says 2013 can become the year with the worst economic situation during President Putin's rule. Economic experts are speaking about recession; pp 1, 4 (1,031 words).

2. Vladimir Mukhin article headlined "NATO not enemy yet, but serious rival" says while Russia is holding a joint exercise with China, NATO is holding drills in Kazakhstan and Mongolia; pp 1-2 (853 words).

3. Alexandra Samarina article headlined "Debates in absence of Sobyanin" says the Moscow mayoral election debates are to be broadcast without the participation of the main candidate, acting mayor Serge Sobyanin, who has decided to focus on meetings with Muscovites; pp 1, 3 (1,214 words).

4. Vladimir Skosyrev article headlined "Obama corrects himself" says Moscow is disappointed with the U.S. authorities' decision to cancel the bilateral summit in Moscow. Washington had to justify President Obama's critical statements describing Putin as a tired school boy; pp 1, 6 (522 words).

5. Tatyana Ivzhenko article headlined "Trade war growing" says Kiev is indignant over Russian methods of forcing the country into economic integration with the Customs Union. Moscow is making new claims against Ukrainian meat and cheese; pp 1, 5 (750 words).

6. Editorial headlined "Fall of fourth branch of power" says the recent sale of the Washington Post and the New York Times shows that the press has lost its influence in the U.S.; p 2 (517 words).

7. Viktor Litovkin article headlined "Snowden's shadow above 2+2" says despite the cooling in the Russian-U.S. relations the meeting of the two countries' foreign and defense ministers in Washington took place, and some positive cooperation plans were discussed; p 6 (806 words).

Vedomosti

1. Olga Kuvshinova article headlined "Russia on verge of recession" says the Russian economy has stopped growing and the risk of economic recession is becoming real; pp 1, 5 (684 words).

2. Roman Dorokhov and Alexei Nikolsky article headlined "Spy in centre of Moscow" says a server of a U.S. internet intelligence system can be located in the U.S. embassy in Moscow; pp 1, 17 (491 words).

3. Editorial headlined "Economy of money-makers" comments on a recent statement by the Orthodox Church spokesman criticizing the Western consumption-based economies and calling on Russians to chose austerity principles; pp 1, 6 (376 words).

4. Lilia Biryukova article headlined "Putin to show whom he elects" says President Putin's image is not used in election campaigns of the candidates backed by the authorities. However, the president's meetings with Acting Moscow Mayor Sergei Sobyanin and acting Moscow Region governor Andrei Vorobyov clearly show his support; p 2 (628 words).

5. Maria Zheleznova article headlined "Newsmaker Navalny catches up with Sobyanin" says opposition mayoral candidate Alexei Navalny is being mentioned by federal media as much as acting Moscow mayor Sergei Sobyanin, but the media mostly spread negative information about Navalny; p 3 (627 words).

6. Svetlana Bocharova and Maxim Glikin article headlined "Bored of vertical" reports on a poll by the Moscow-based Levada Centre indicating that more and more citizens support the rule of law and government's accountability to society; p 3 (300 words).

7. Another editorial headlined "Developing Plato" says a recent video showing President Putin walking alone along the empty streets of St. Petersburg proves the loneliness of the Russian leader; p 6 (378 words).

Izvestia

1. Lyudmila Podobedova article headlined "Moscow oil refinery to suspend end of its operation due to fuel shortages threat" says the Moscow oil refinery owned by Gazprom Neft will suspend its temporary closure until the end of September due to the threat of petrol shortages; pp 1, 3 (586 words).

2. Mikhail Rubin interview with television presenter Dmitry Kiselev who comments on his recent homophobic statements; pp 1, 3 (858 words).

3. Svetlana Subbotina and Yulia Tsoy interview with Mikhail Starshinov, deputy chairman of the State Duma committee on nationalities, speaking on migration policy and the recent incident with salespeople attacking a policeman at a market in Moscow; pp 1-2 (1,005 words).

4. Alexei Krivoruchek article headlined "Single automated control system to be unveiled at MAKS-2013" says the first module of the automated control system to be used by the Armed Forces will be unveiled at the MAKS-2013 airshow in Moscow Region; p 2 (468 words).

5. Petr Kozlov interview with Mikhail Vyshegorodtsev, nominated by the Civil Platform party for the post of Moscow business ombudsman, who speaks on his relations with Acting Moscow Mayor Sergei Sobyanin and his work plans; p 3 (653 words).

RossiIskaya Gazeta

1. Yevgeny Shestakov article headlined "U.S. overload" says experts believe that the "pause" in the Russian-U.S. relations announced by President Obama will not last long as the two countries have to cooperate on international affairs; pp 1, 3 (900 words).

2. Anna Bondarenko et al. report headlined "Tariffs soaring" comments on a hike in public utilities tariffs in Russia in August; pp 1, 3 (300 words).

3. Kira Latukhina article headlined "Russian endurance" reviews the Kremlin's reaction to U.S. President Barack Obama's decision not to visit Moscow for the Russian-U.S. summit; p 3 (300 words).

4. Lyubov Protsenko article headlined "Moscow does not trust empty tears" features pundits' comments on the decision by candidate for Moscow mayor and acting head of the city Sergei Sobyanin not to participate in the election debates; p 6 (200 words).

Moskovsky Komsomolets

1. Tatyana Zamakhina article headlined "From Ilyich lamp to Dmitry Anatolyevich candle" says experts polled by the paper expect the new electric energy consumption standards, to be introduced in Russia in summer 2014, to become a shock for the majority of consumers. Most people will pay much higher energy bills; pp 1-2 (513 words).

2. Marina Ozerova article headlined "Jolly Roger waving in wind" says over 100,000 Russians have signed a petition to cancel the law against internet piracy on the website of the Russian Public Initiative; pp 1-2 (668 words).

3. Melor Sturua article headlined "Barack, Michel and dishwashing" reports on a news conference by U.S. President Barack Obama where he acknowledged that whistle-blower Edward Snowden has changed the circumstances for the Russian-U.S. relations; p 2 (1,119 words).

Novaya Gazeta

1. Unattributed article publishes responses of opposition activist and Moscow mayoral candidate Alexei Navalny to questions about his election platform and plans for mayoral work; p 13 (1,258 words).

2. Unattributed article headlined "Gubernatorial elections 2013: manageability versus legitimacy" reviews the on-going gubernatorial election campaign in several Russian regions; p 12 (1,059 words).

3. Yulia Latynina article headlined "Pedophile-patriot in president's bed" says that the missile cruiser Petr Velikygot involved in the scandal with sexual harassment of young boys under disguise of patriotic education; p 5 (634 words).

Noviye Izvestia

1. Yulia Savina interview with member of the presidential council on development of civil society and human rights Irina Khakamada, who speaks about anti-corruption campaign in Russia; pp 1-2 (800 words).

Moskvskiye Novosti

1. Alexandra Beluza article headlined "Democratization for selected" analyzes the so-called social lifts and mechanisms for building a political career in Russia; pp B2-B5 (2,600 words).