What the Papers Say, Oct. 4, 2013

Kommersant

1. Andrei Kolesnikov article headlined "Vladimir Putin meets party and says goodbye" gives an ironic account of President Putin's meeting with the United Russia party activists; pp 1, 5 (1,242 words).

2. Oleg Trutnev article headlined "Yury Shefler gives up Kremlevskaya [vodka]" says that the SPI group has sold rights for the Kremlevskaya vodka brand to a Moldovan businessman; pp 1, 12 (566 words).

3. Khalil Aminov article headlined "Government gets stuck at point of moving" says that relocation of federal ministries and bodies of power to the new Moscow area has been postponed for an indefinite period of time as the government has only begun making lists of ministries to be relocated and warned that the expenditures on the move may exceed the estimated 419 billion rubles; pp 1, 12 (519 words).

4. Sergei Mashkin article headlined "Way out of Oboronservis case transpires" says that Maxim Zakutaylo, the first businessman arrested in line with the fraud case involving the Defense Ministry's Oboronservis company, is to be released automatically in a month after 11 months in a remand centre as investigators will most likely fail to complete the probe in time; pp 1, 7 (530 words).

5. Yury Barsukov article headlined "Autumn aggravation of competition" says that the Federal Anti-Monopoly Service has tabled the fourth version of amendments to the law on competition, as the previous three antimonopoly packages met strong criticism from experts and the cabinet; p 2 (510 words).

6. Ilya Barabanov article headlined "Arms of battle" details the developments that resulted in the storming of the parliament's building back in October 1993; p 4 (1,798 words).

7. Irina Nagornykh article headlined "United Russia to share guiding role" looks at the first day of the ruling party's congress in the Moscow region; p 5 (711 words).

8. Taisia Bekbulatova et al. report headlined "Parties have Moscow headquarters at ready" says that political parties have already begun preparing for the election to the Moscow parliament set for September 2014. The opposition hopes that the election will take place in March, if the current city parliament resigns in December; p 6 (686 words).

9. Zaur Farnyev et al. report headlined "Head of North Ossetia to be elected without people" says that the United Russia's representatives in the North Ossetian parliament have suggested that direct election of head of the republic be canceled just like in Dagestan and Ingushetia; p 6 (648 words).

10. Grigory Tumanov and Pavel Korobov article headlined "Zamoskvoretsky court does not take Copts on hearsay" says that a Moscow court has ruled legal the decision of the Federal Migration Service not to grant the status of refugees to Copts who have fled from anti-Orthodox massacres in Egypt. The head of the Russian Orthodox Church stated they could not influence the decision of the service; p 7 (563 words).

11. Vyacheslav Kozlov and Yelena Lodygina article headlined "Valuable picture" says that the journalistic community has condemned the launch of piracy charges against photographer Denis Sinyakov, who took pictures of Greenpeace activists approaching Gazprom's oil rig in the Arctic; p 7 (347 words).

12. Article by member of board of the Institute of Contemporary Development Yevgeny Gontmakher headlined "Fate of foreign agents" says that the controversial law on NGOs has only affected charity projects and damaged the authorities' prestige; p 8 (531 words).

13. Yury Barsukov article headlined "Gazprom to be seen off with claim" says that the European Commission is putting finishing touches on its official claims against Gazprom for violating antimonopoly legislation; p 9 (516 words).

14. Sergei Sobolyov et al. report headlined "Oil spot found in Lifenews" says that the oil trader Surguteks, affiliated with former partners of businessman Gennady Timchenko, turns out to be a minority shareholder of the Lifenews television channel launched by Aram Gabrelyanov; pp 9, 12 (561 words).

15. Dmitry Tratas article headlined "Rules of game" contemplates over the U.S. government shutdown's possible effect on the markets; p 9 (371 words).

16. Anna Solodovnikova article headlined "Uralkali continues loading" says that the potash giant Uralkali has announced plans to increase potash production; p 11 (528 words).

Nezavisimaya Gazeta

1.Sergei Kulikov article headlined "Russia losing to America in oil and gas production" says that growing oil and gas production in the U.S. may result in reduction of world hydrocarbons prices and thus undermine a relative budget stability in Russia; pp 1, 7 (807 words).

2. Yevgenia Novikova article headlined "Turkey setting up screen against jihadists from Syria" says that the Turkish parliament has extended by a year a mandate authorizing the army to counter threats from Syria by conducting cross-border operations. Turkey is concerned that chemical weapons and radicals from Syria might get into the country; pp 1, 8 (757 words).

3. Andrei Serenko article headlined "Volgograd Communists argue over unregistered millions" says that the head of the Volgograd branch of the Communist Party, Nikolai Parshin, has been accused of going back on his promise to ensure the second place in the party list in the 2013 election for Communist Pavel Polyakov who rendered financial support to the branch; pp 1-2 (636 words).

4. Ivan Rodin article headlined "State's backbone begins with self-criticism" says that President Putin has called the ruling party United Russia the most influential people's party in the country and thanked them for being a reliable backbone of the state; pp 1, 3 (821 words).

5. Svetlana Gamova article headlined "Romanian president giving Dniester region away to Moscow" looks at the outcomes of the talks on Dniester region held in Brussels yesterday; pp 1, 8 (705 words).

6. Tatyana Ivzhenko article headlined "Kiev has no-one Kremlin can place stakes on" says that Moscow and Kiev are expected to hold several rounds of talks on cooperation after Ukraine signs an agreement on association with the EU, however, the countries' leaders are not expected to meet. Kiev thinks that Moscow is currently forced to compromise but may create social and political problems for Ukraine in the future; pp 1, 8 (858 words).

7. Editorial headlined "Trauma of Russian democracy" says that the storming of the parliament's building in October 1993, which resulted from the stand-off between President Yeltsin and the parliament, has determined the way Russian democracy works and has caused the current leadership's fear of "the split of elites"; p 2 (501 words).

8. Alexei Gorbachev article headlined "Bolotnaya case getting increasingly scandalous" says the defendants in the case of 2012 unrest in Moscow's Bolotnaya Square keep complaining about violations and beatings, so human rights activists are going to gather in Red Square in their support. Meanwhile, the judge in charge of the case may be banned from entering the EU and the U.S.; p 3 (525 words).

9. Gleb Pavlovsky article headlined "Zigzag of 1993" looks back at the stand-off between President Yeltsin and the parliament back in 1993 and its consequences for the country; p 4 (1,248 words).

10. Article by the leader of the Communist Party Gennady Zyuganov headlined "Shooting at parliament splits country" looks at the consequences of the storming of the parliament's building back in 1993; p 4 (271 words).

11. Article by the leader of the Liberal Democratic Party Vladimir Zhirinovsky headlined "No compromise!" looks at reasons behind the confrontation between the president and the parliament in 1993; p 4 (620 words).

12. Boris Makarenko article headlined "Reformists of White House elite" looks at lessons one should learn from the storming of the parliament's building in 1993; p 5 (291 words).

13. Unattributed article headlined "Those inexplicable events of black October" looks at how Russians assess the 1993 confrontation between the president and the parliament; p 5 (341 words).

14. Viktor Sheynis article headlined "Opportunities we miss" ponders over the reasons behind the 1993 clash of the president and the parliament which has determined Russia's further development; p 6 (4,861 words).

15. Mikhail Sergeyev article headlined "Maps do not stop capital from flowing out" says that 'road maps' aiming to improve investment climate have a limited effect and do not affect the economic situation in the country; p 7 (907 words).

16. Sergei Kulikov article headlined "Cheap credits not given to small business" says that the government is split on whether some 100 billion rubles ($3 billion) should be allocated from the National Wealth Fund for long-term and cheap loans for small businesses; p 7 (695 words).

17. Yury Panyev article headlined "Republicans barring Obama from meeting Putin" says that Washington does not rule out that President Obama's trip to the APEC summit in Bali may be canceled due to the U.S. government shutdown, so his meeting with Putin on the sidelines of the summit is hanging in the air; p 8 (672 words).

Vedomosti

1. Milana Chelpanova and Margarita Lyutova article headlined "Monopolies ordered to cut expenditures" says that the Economic Development Ministry has recommended natural monopolies to cut procurement prices by 10 percent and to stop raising salaries; pp 1, 4 (804 words).

2. Editorial headlined "Mystical agreement" says that the Kremlin is seeking a national idea to unite people and to turn them against alien values; pp 1, 6 (418 words).

3. Editorial headlined "Do not watch hands" criticizes the government's decision to hand over the accumulative component of pensions from private pension funds to the state-owned VEB bank; p 6 (287 words).

4. Pavel Aptekar article headlined "Modern history: Constitution of winners" looks back at the conflict between the president and the parliament in 1993 and the constitution that resulted from it; pp 6, 7 (1,055 words).

5. Alexander Gubsky article headlined "Thing of week: Banner at Basel-Schalke 04 match" says that Greenpeace activists have interrupted a football match by unfurling a huge banner saying "Gazprom don't foul the Arctic. Free the Arctic 30", and comments on detention of Greenpeace activists for approaching Gazprom's oil rig in the Arctic; p 7 (678 words).

6. Yekaterina Kravchenko and Natalya Raybman article headlined "New raw materials leader" says that the U.S. is becoming the biggest producer of hydrocarbons, and contemplates over possible consequences for Russia; p 5 (492 words).

7. Maxim Glikin article headlined "Navalny's 51 percent" says that 51 percent of Russians know who Navalny is and some 49 percent know of the KirovLes criminal case involving the opposition activist; p 3 (370 words).

8. Andrei Babitsky article headlined "Bad news: Case to transpire" slams the launch of piracy charges against Greenpeace activists who tried to approach Gazprom's oil rig in the Arctic; p 7 (418 words).

Rossiiskaya Gazeta

1. Yulia Krivoshapko interview with financial ombudsman Pavel Medvedev headlined "Who will Medvedev protect from?" pp 1, 4 (1,400).

2. Valery Vyzhutovich article headlined "Twenty years of transition" says that Abkhazia has marked the 20th anniversary of independence declaration and victory in the Georgia-Abkhazia war and looks at how Abkhazia has changed over the years; p 3 (700 words).

3. Vladilslav Vorobyev article headlined "More distance form Tripoli" says that the Russian embassy has been evacuated from Tripoli following a terrorist attack; p 8 (500 words).

Izvestia

1. Anastasia Kashevarova and Svetlana Subbotina article headlined "Major reshuffle expected in United Russia" looks at the changes awaiting the ruling party; pp 1, 2 (584 words).

2. Natalya Bashlykova article headlined "Ruling party asks Vladimir Putin not to abandon it" gives account of President Putin's meeting with United Russia activists at the ruling party's congress; p 2 (953 words).

3. Yelena Teslova article headlined "Experts forecast change in style of Dmitry Medvedev's speeches" wonders how the prime minister's speeches will change with the appointment of Marina Volkova, former editor of the political section in Rossiiskaya Gazeta, as head of the department in charge of preparing the premier's public speeches; p 2 (792 words).

4. Dmitry Runkevich and Yelena Malay article headlined "Deputy demands Khrunova be stripped of attorney status" says that an LDPR deputy has asked to deprive Irina Khrunova, lawyer of Pussy Riot band member Nadezhda Tolokonnikova, of her lawyer license because of her supposed secret deal with members of the presidential human rights council; p 6 (523 words).

5. Konstantin Volkov article headlined "Israel and U.S. differ in opinions on Iran" says Washington seems to be ready to believe the new Iranian leader's statements on the peaceful nature of the Iranian nuclear programme, but Israel appears uncompromising. The article features a comment by a Russian expert on Israel's tough stance; p 7 (587 words).

6. Vladislav Vdovin article headlined "Future wins but seems to have failed to come" looks back at the 1993 conflict between the president and the parliament; p 9 (769 words).

7. Maxim Sokolov article headlined "Spiritual unity and peaceful agreement" comments on the decision of the International Academy of Unity of Nations of the World to nominate President Putin for the Nobel Peace Prize; p 9 (669 words).

Moskovsky Komsomolets

1. Natalya Rozhkova article headlined "Yevgeny Urlashov: We play backgammon and philosophize" is an interview with the arrested mayor of Yaroslavl, Yevgeny Urlashov; pp 1, 15 (1,300 words).

2. Stanislav Belkovsky op-ed headlined "On treason" criticizes nomination of U.S. intelligence leaker Edward Snowden for the European Parliament's Sakharov prize; p 3 (750 words).

Novaya Gazeta

1. Yulia Polukhina article "'Freedom is independence from evil'" features final statement of Mikhail Kosenko, defendant in the so-called Bolotnaya Square mass disorders case. Moscow's court is expected to deliver the verdict on Monday Oct. 7, the article says; p 5 (750 words).

2. Artemy Troitsky article headlined "Harsh Arctic sunset" comments on the arrest and piracy charges brought against the detained Greenpeace activists; p 7 (600 words).

RBC Daily

1. Yulia Yakovleva article headlined "Selling human resources" says Rodina (Motherland) party and a Just Russia party have split over detention of a former head of the A Just Russia party's department responsible for working with its supporters, Alexei Tikhonov. He was detained on suspicion of selling managerial positions; p 2 (500 words).

Trud

1. Sergei Frolov article headlined "'Thank you, grenade launchers say'" looks at the attack on Russian embassy in Libya's Tripoli; p 2 (450 words).

Krasnaya Zvezda

1. Viktor Afanasyev article headlined "Obama's challenging times" comments on U.S. government shutdown due to which U.S. President Barack Obama has had to revise his working schedule; p 5 (600 words).

Komsomolskaya Pravda

1. Alexander Gamov interview with State Duma Speaker Sergei Naryshkin, speaking about U.S. whistleblower Edward Snowden, the so-called anti-gay law in Russia and his recent speech at the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe. Full text of the interview will be published later, the article says; p 3 (400 words).