What the Papers Say, Aug. 13, 2013

Kommersant

1. Vadim Visloguzov article headlined "National welfare being submitted for growth" says the Finance Ministry has unveiled a draft set of regulations on the management of the National Welfare Fund. The government will be able to invest the savings accumulated in the Fund in infrastructure projects; p 1 (560 words).

2. Andrei Kolesnikov article headlined "All roads are dear to us" reports on a meeting on the development of road infrastructure near Moscow and the construction of toll roads chaired by President Putin; pp 1-2 (1,367 words).

3. Nina Vlasova article headlined "Central Bank demagnetizes cards" says the Central Bank wants to compel banks to provide security chips on all cards they issue to reduce the amount of credit card fraud; pp 1, 7 (625 words).

4. Pavel Belavin article headlined "Authors get new term" says the Culture Ministry has extended the accreditation of the Russian Copyright Society for collecting royalties and controling music copyright by 10 years. This contradicts Russia's earlier plans to change the royalty-collection process in 2013 following Russia's accession to the WTO; pp 1, 9 (760 words).

5. Sergey Goryashko and Maxim Ivanov article headlined "Citizens condemn courts" says a recent public opinion poll has shown that Russians' trust in the court system is depleting and people are only prepared to turn to the judicial system in extraordinary situations; p 3 (538 words).

6. Sofya Samokhina and Nikola Sergeyev article headlined "Prosecutor-General's Office checks Alexei Navalny's wallet" says the Prosecutor General's Office has found that Moscow mayoral candidate Alexei Navalny's election campaign is being financed from abroad in violation of Russian laws. Prosecutors have sent evidence supporting their claims to the Interior Ministry for them to decide whether a criminal case should be opened; p 3 (505 words)

7. Ivan Buranov interview with Sergey Kelbakh, head of the Avtodor state controlled road construction corporation, speaking on plans to build toll roads in the country; p 4 (2,439 words).

8. Sergey Mashkin article "Non-market relations spotted for Anatoly Serdyukov" says there is a new suspect in the large-scale Defense Ministry corruption case; p 5 (600 words).

9. Grigory Tumanov and Vyacheslav Kozlov article headlined "Demands to bring NGO law in line with constitutional standards" says rights activists have appealed to the Constitutional Court against the law on "foreign agent" NGOs. The plaintiffs say that the requirement for NGOs that receive funding from abroad to register as "foreign agents" violates several articles of the constitution; p 5 (617 words).

10. Galina Dudina article "German authorities shift surveillance to opposition" features Russian comment on revelations that U.S. and German authorities were working together to spy on German nationals; p 6 (400 words).

11. Maxim Yusin article headlined "Syria being cleared of people of Bashar Assad's faith" says that sectarian cleansing targeting Alawis, performed by Syrian rebels in their advance toward Latakia, is an indication of what awaits those who adhere to the same school of Islam as Assad if he is deposed; p 6 (427 words).

12. Vladimir Dzaguto column "Rules of the Game" questions whether Moscow will pursue real nuclear cooperation with Tehran in the context of recent statements by Iran and yesterday's response from atomic agency Rosatom; p 7 (350 words).

Nezavisimaya Gazeta

1. Alexei Gorbachev article headlined "People's Front goes to elections" says the People's Front for Russia movement will announce that it is ready for official registration tomorrow. Activists of the movement are ready to compete with United Russia for power and influence. However, experts say that the future of United Russia will be decided after the results of the September regional elections are in; p 1 (482 words).

2. Alexandra Samarina article headlined "Chaika peeks into Navalny's wallet" features pundit comment on the implications of the Prosecutor General's Office findings that Alexei Navalny is financing his campaign for Moscow mayor through donations from abroad; pp 1, 3 (899 words).

3. Alexandra Samarina article headlined "'Deputies case' linked to 'Bolotnaya'" says journalists who are known Kremlin critics are being questioned over the defamation of State Duma lawmakers Yelena Mizulina and Olga Batalina in a bid to pull opposition spokespeople into line; pp 1, 3 (521 words).

4. Igor Naumov article headlined "Public steps in for Runet freedom" says the Russian Public Initiative portal has gathered over 100,000 signatures from people demanding that the new law against internet piracy be repealed. A new bill amending the law could be considered at the Duma's autumn session; pp 1, 4 (712 words).

5. Anton Khodosevich article headlined "Intestinal bacillus against African plague" says the Belarusian authorities are not going to argue with the Russian agricultural watchdog about the latter finding bacteria in the products of three Belarusian factories; pp 1, 6 (613 words).

6. Vladimir Skosyrev article headlined "Edward Snowden's father also faces trial" says the father of CIA whistle-blower Edward Snowden has received a visa to visit his son in Russia. It seems unlikely that the Snowdens will go back to the U.S., as there are no guarantees that Snowden will get a fair trial there; pp 1-2 (534 words).

7. Editorial headlined "Putin's strong minority" analyses recent public opinion polls showing a decline in popular support for Vladimir Putin. More and more people believe that he is acting in the interests of the ruling elite, rather than the majority of the population. The editorial argues that Russia needs a strong leftist politician; p 2 (494 words).

8. Mikhail Sergeyev article titled "Social key to capital city electorate" says none of the Moscow mayoral candidates have put forward a compelling economic programme and rounds up pundit comment on what kind of political pledges are most attractive to Moscow voters; p 4 (700 words)

Vedomosti

1. Margarita Lyutova article headlined "Road for investments" says the Direct Investment Fund is becoming an important mechanism for implementing infrastructure projects, such as the construction of new roads; pp 1, 5 (350 words).

2. Maria Zheleznova et al. report headlined "Wrong address" questions assertions by the Prosecutor General's Office about Alexei Navalny's election campaign being financed by foreign nationals; pp 1-2 (830 words).

3. Editorial headlined "Economist's role" outlines new Economic Development Minister Alexei Ulyukayev's view on the Russian economy and the measures he plans to take to prevent a recession; pp 1, 6 (344 words).

4. Anastasia Kornya et al. report headlined "No competition for Sobyanin's fund" says Sergei Sobyanin's electoral headquarters received 100 million rubles (around $3 million) in donations — much more than what his political rivals managed to raise; p 2 (628 words).

5. Bela Lyauv et al. article headlined "'One cannot get to Moscow via swamp'" reviews the election ads of Moscow mayoral candidates, which were launched yesterday. Pundits note that each candidate appeals to their own target audience and does not try to win over the electorate of his rivals; p 3 (646 words).

6. Anastasia Kornya and Svetlana Bocharova article titled "Voters can file suits" says the Justice Ministry is drafting a bill that will allow voters to dispute election results from 2014. Experts predict that there will be restrictions on who will be able to use this mechanism; p 3 (300 words)

7. Another editorial titled "Putin's rails" comments on transport problems in Moscow and Moscow Region in the context of yesterday's meeting on road infrastructure chaired by Vladimir Putin; p 6 (300 words)

8. A "Quote of the Week" column by Maxim Glikin contemplates the possible impact of Barack Obama's comment that Vladimir Putin looks like a bored kid at school during talks on Russian-U.S. ties; p 7 (300 words)

Izvestiya

1. Alexei Krivoruchek article headlined "Armed Forces to be equipped with nano armour" says nano-technological light ceramic plates will be used for the armoured vests of Russian servicemen; pp 1-2 (415 words).

2. Petr Kozlov article headlined "Kremlin centre to improve Caucasus image" says the Russian presidential administration is setting up an analytical centre in the Caucasus to improve the image of the region; pp 1-2 (577 words).

3. Ivan Cheberko interview with Svetlana Mironyuk, editor in chief of state-owned RIA Novosti news agency, speaking about various challenges faced by her agency, including cyber security; pp 1, 4 (2,282 words).

4. Sergey Podosenov article titled "Navalnyy breaches informal agreements" rounds up pundit views on the Prosecutor General's Office finding fault with Navalny's campaign fund-raising; pp 1, 3 (700 words)

5. Maria Kiseleva article titled "Rostec subsidiary to outdo everyone at MAKS-2013" looks ahead to the MAKS-2013 air show, opening in Russia at the end of August; p 2 (500 words).

6. Andrei Gridasov interview with Amur Region governor Oleg Kozhemyako speaking on the measures taken to deal with devastating flooding in the region; p 3 (578 words).

7. Igor Yavlyansky article headlined "Snowden scandal declared Chinese 'intrigue'" features Russian comment on speculation that China purposefully created the controversy around Edward Snowden in order to damage relations between Russia and the U.S.; p 4 (573 words).

8. Svetlana Basharova article titled "People who come to vote to receive electronic books and MP3 players" says first-time voters at the Moscow mayoral elections will get some fancy gadgets as gifts from the local government; p 6 (400 words).

Rossiiskaya Gazeta

1. Kira Latukhina article titled "Caspian paradigm" previews Vladimir Putin's visit to Baku; p 2 (350 words).

2. Ivan Yegorov article titled "Payments coming from abroad" recounts yesterday's statement by the Prosecutor General's Office on foreign financing of Alexei Navalny's campaign. The article makes no mention of Navalny denying the claims or the statement from the Yandex Money electronic payment system, questioning the validity of the prosecutors' conclusions. It does note that Navalny could be disqualified from the mayoral race if the wrongdoing is confirmed; p 2 (500 words)

3. Opinion piece by political analyst Alexei Zudin titled "How to become part of 'the system'?" examines the role, political clout and evolution of the Russian opposition; p 3 (2,000 words).

4. A column by political scientist Leonid Radzikhovsky headlined "Globe turns" looks at Russia's positions in different global ratings and notes that the country has to raise living standards and improve its business climate; p 3 (881 words).

5. Vladislav Rilskyarticle headlined "Washington speaks and punishes" reports on the trial of US journalist Barrett Brown who made public information about contracts for intelligence services between the US authorities and private providers; p 8 (496 words).

Moskovsky Komsomolets

1. Mikhail Rostovsky article headlined "Navalny today is like Yeltsin yesterday" says the information campaign being waged against Alexei Navalny is only boosting his popularity; pp 1-2 (908 words).

2. Pavel Chuvilyayev article headlined "Recession? Stagnation? Correction!" analyses the state of the Russian economy and the measures taken by the authorities to prevent a recession; pp 1-2 (668 words).

Noviye Izvestiya

1. Andrei Chaplygin and Olga Kim article headlined "Know-how in North Korean way" reports on a mobile phone created by North Korean engineers and presented to the country's leader, Kim Jong-un; p 3 (500 words).

2. VitalySlovetsky article entitled "Victims of donations?" comments on allegations by the Prosecutor General's Office that the election campaign of protest leader and Moscow mayoral candidate Alexei Navalny is being financed from abroad. Experts are saying that after this Navalny's popularity rating is likely. At the same time, it is quite possible that he will be removed from the mayoral election; p 2 (600 words).

RBC Daily

1. Yevgeny Krasnikov article headlined "Meeting with Odnoklassniki" says Navalnyy's electoral headquarters are holding talks with Odnoklassniki social network about posting his election campaign ads. His rival Sergey Sobyanin has called on internet users to help his with promotion on-line; pp 1-2 (800 words).

2. Alexander Litoy article headlined "IP sponsors" on the reaction in the Liberal-Democratic Party of Russia to allegations by the Prosecutor General's Office that the election campaign of protest leader and Moscow mayoral candidate Alexei Navalny is being financed from abroad. Lawmakers from the LDPR intend to suggest financing election campaigns at the expense of the state and banning private donations; p 2 (600 words).

Komsomolskaya Pravda

1. Vladimir Vorsobin and Alexander Yakovlev interview with journalist Sergei Dorenko entitled "I've been removed, thrown out and gobbled up" in which he speculates about the approaching Moscow mayoral election and two main candidates, Sobyanin and Navalny, shared his views on labour migrants on and present-day Russian politics in general; pp 1,16-17 (1,600 words)

2. Igor Vladimirov interview with the president's adviser, Fellow of the Russian Academy of Sciences Sergei Glazyev headlined "Failures of Rosnano and Skolkovo go to show what happens when bureaucrats start running the country" in which he talks about the reforms of the RAN and state of affairs in Russian science in general; pp 12-13 (2,300 words).

Trud

1. Alexander Protsenko article entitled "Who's the last one in the line for rich pickings?" ponders on reasons behind low indices of labor migration in Russia; pp 1-3 (1, 200 words)

Tvoy Den

1. Anton Stepanov article headlined "Helped from abroad" on allegations made by the Prosecutor General's Office that the election campaign of protest leader and Moscow mayoral candidate Alexei Navalny is being financed from abroad; p 2 (400 words)