What the Papers Say, Nov. 14, 2013

Kommersant

1. Anatoly Dzhumaylo et al. article headlined "Mechel falls into history" says that the shares of the company Mechel have slumped down almost 50 percent without apparent cause at the Moscow exchange; pp 1, 11 (634 words).

2. Denis Skorobogatko and Vladislav Noviy article headlined "Post stake" details a new strategy for the development of postal operator Russian Post, which is facing a crisis; pp 1, 13 (585 words).

3. Oleg Rubnikovich et al. article headlined "Winner to be tried" says that Astrakhan mayor Mikhail Stolyarov, who was elected in 2012, has been detained on suspicion of receiving a large bribe; pp 1, 3 (1,037 words).

4. Maxim Ivanov et al. article headlined "Opposition to correct president" says that the Communist Party of the Russian Federation, the Liberal Democratic Party of Russia and the A Just Russia party have decided to draft joint amendments to the presidential bill, under which the Supreme Arbitration Court and the High Arbitration Court will be combined and a mechanism of appointed prosecutors will be changed; p 2 (578 words).

5. Viktor Khamrayev article headlined "Vladimir Lukin suggests freezing constitution" says that Russian human rights ombudsman Vladimir Lukin, whose term in office ends in February 2014, has suggested introducing a long-lasting moratorium on amendments to the Russian constitution, otherwise Russia may plunge into chaos; p 2 (656 words).

6. Irina Nagornykh article headlined "New election rules explained to vice-governors" says that the presidential administration has held a seminar for regional deputy heads for domestic policies to discuss the recent changes to the election procedure and the political situation in the country in general; p 2 (614 words).

7. Maxim Ivanov and Natalya Gorodetskaya article headlined "Border control to be strengthened for migrants" says that the government has drafted a bill, which envisages attracting non-commercial organizations (NGOs) to help migrants adapt to life in Russia. The state border commission led by Deputy Prime Minister Dmitriy Rogozin is working on a bill obliging migrants to get medical insurance and toughening the rules of temporary residence in Russia; p 3 (643 words).

8. Andrei Kolesnikov article headlined "Korean path not to be overgrown" gives an account of President Vladimir Putin's visit to South Korea. One of the main results of the visit is the signing of an agreement on visa-free travel between the two countries; p 7 (1,025 words).

9. Pavel Tarasenko article headlined "Europe extends sick leave" says that the Ukrainian parliament has failed to pass a bill, under which former Ukrainian Prime Minister Yulia Tymoshenko can go abroad for treatment. Thus, the parliament has not met the deadline set by the EU. However, Brussels gave Kiev an extra week. A Russian expert says that if Ukraine continues manoeuvring between the EU and Russia, it can lose credit with both; p 7 (614 words).

10. Kirill Belyaninov article headlined "Human rights discrepancy declared to Russia" says that international human rights organizations and the U.S. have been outraged at new members elected to the UN Human Rights Council, among whom is Russia; p 7 (453 words).

Nezavisimaya Gazeta

1. Yevgenia Novikova article headlined "Al Qaida threatens Balkan states with terrorist attack" says that a group of Albanians has been detained in Kosovo on suspicion of being connected with Al Qaida. During questioning, one of the detainees said that Al Qaida was planning terrorist attacks in the Balkan states. The article features a Russian military expert's comment on the issue; pp 1-2 (706 words).

2. Alexandra Samarina article headlined "Navalny chooses party" says that opposition activist Alexei Navalny's party People's Alliance will hold a founding congress on Nov. 17 for the third time. The Justice Ministry has already refused to register the party twice; pp 1-2 (932 words).

3. Igor Naumov article headlined "Strong dollar to empty Russia's treasury" says that hard times are awaiting the Russian economy in the near future as global oil prices are said to fall in 2014; pp 1, 4 (826 words).

4. Tatyana Ivzhenko article headlined "Ukrainian opposition prepares for new Maydan" says that the Ukrainian opposition has accused the authorities of intending to wreck integration with the EU after the Ukrainian parliament failed to approve a bill releasing former Ukrainian Prime Minister Yulia Tymoshenko at least for treatment abroad. The opposition is planning to take people out to the streets for protests; pp 1, 6 (1,130 words).

5. Svetlana Gamova report "Moldova sells arms to terrorists" says that UN experts have established that the Moldovan authorities have sold weapons to Libyan insurgents; pp 1-2 (600 words).

6. Editorial headlined "Three five-year stagnation periods not limit for Russia" says that the Russian authorities have made a worst-case forecast for the country's development in the near future. However, Russian society has not reacted to this so far, probably because it has not realized the scale of the economic disaster; p 2 (489 words).

7. Ivan Rodin article headlined "Nuances of new strategic policy" focuses on a meeting between representatives of the presidential administration and regional deputy heads for domestic policy; p 3 (804 words).

8. Vladimir Kozin article published in the regular Carte Blanche column headlined "Missile race gets momentum on land and sea" says that the U.S., which has not given up an idea to build a missile defense system in Eastern Europe despite Russia's concerns, does not realize the consequences of this move, so not only Russian-U.S., but international agreements on missile defense are necessary; p 3 (815 words).

9. Mikhail Sergeiev article headlined "Customs separates Kiev from Moscow" says that Russia has introduced new rules of importing goods from Ukraine on Nov. 12. The EU has expressed concern about this; p 4 (691 words).

10. Yury Paniyev article headlined "Netanyahu uses carrot and stick" says that Israel has decided to suspend the construction of new houses on the disputed territories with Palestine. The article features a Russian expert's comment on the issue; p 7 (582 words).

11. Vladimir Skosyrev article headlined "Beijing approves decisive role of market in economy" looks at the results of the congress of the Communist Party of China (CPC) Central Committee and features a Russian expert's comment on them; p 7 (619 words).

Vedomosti

1. Anastasia Golitsyna and Maxim Tovkaylo article headlined "Author's supervision" says that the Economic Development Ministry has submitted a draft presidential decree to the government on establishing a federal service for control over the observance of intellectual rights; pp 1, 5 (723 words).

2. Editorial headlined "Ivanov's high-ranking functionaries" comments on the head of the presidential administration Sergei Ivanov's idea to return to Soviet principles in the high-ranking staff policy; pp 1, 6 (351 words).

3. Vadim Volkov et al. article headlined "Non-departmental reform" looks at the political elite's reaction to reforms in the law-enforcement and security agencies presented by former Finance Minister Alexei Kudrin's Civil Initiatives Committee; p 6 (992 words).

4. Margarita Lyutova and Maxim Glikin article headlined "Ukraine not in hurry" says that the Ukrainian business community has asked the Ukrainian president to postpone the signing of a free-trade agreement with the EU because economic relations with Russia and other Customs Union member states have worsened; p 5 (560 words).

5. Lilia Biryukova article headlined "Mayor detained, seat vacant" says that the arrest of the Astrakhan mayor on suspicion of bribery may be playing into the Astrakhan regional governor Alexander Zhilkin's hands; p 2 (505 words).

6. Mikhail Serov and Vitaly Petlevoy article headlined "Pipeline turns to be corruption resistant" says that neither the Interior Ministry nor the Prosecutor-General's Office have confirmed that they have received evidence from Switzerland on instances of corruption during the construction of the Yamal-Europe pipeline by gas giant Gazprom; p 13 (493 words).

7. Svetlana Bocharova and Anastasia Kornya article headlined "Arbitration court joins opposition" says that three opposition parliamentary parties, which have decided to jointly draft amendments to the presidential decree on merging the Supreme Arbitration Court and the High Arbitration Court, have to collect 90 signatures of State Duma lawmakers to implement their initiative for the first time; p 2 (571 words).

8. Maria Eysmont article headlined "Civil society: Everyday sadism" says that neither relatives nor friends of the convicted Pussy Riot punk band member Nadezhda Tolokonnikova are aware of her whereabouts and this is the norm for the Russian penal system; p 7 (472 words).

Izvestia

1. Anastasia Kashevarova article headlined "Vladimir Putin to say whether main law should be changed" says that Putin will pay attention to the Russian constitution and its role in the state in his annual address to the Federal Assembly on Dec. 12. Following his state-of-the-nation address, a constitutional council to improve the Russian constitution will be set up by the end of the year; pp 1-2 (505 words).

2. Anastasia Kashevarova and Yelena Malay article headlined "Corruption fighters have Astrakhan mayor in view for long time" focuses on the corruption scandal involving Astrakhan mayor Mikhail Stolyarov, who was caught red-handed receiving a large bribe; pp 1, 3 (1,171 words).

3. Alexei Krivoruchek article headlined "Nuclear cruiser Petr Veliky to defend Olympics" says that according to a source close to the Russian Navy headquarters, the missile cruiser Petr Veliky will probably be used to ensure security during the 2014 Winter Olympics in Sochi; pp 1-2 (535 words).

4. Political analyst Dimitri Simes article headlined "Supremacy of constitution" says that Putin's recent statement that the Russian constitution has priority over international law, conforms fully to the U.S. standards of jurisprudence; pp 1-2 (902 words).

5. Yegor Sozayev-Guryev article headlined "Russia and South Korea agree on cancellation of visas" describes Putin's visit to Seoul; p 2 (489 words).

6. Alena Sivkova article headlined "Interior Ministry leadership to be checked by lie detector" says that high-ranking officers from the Interior Ministry will have to take lie detector tests when applying for a job in the ministry or when being promoted; p 3 (578 words).

7. Vladimir Zykov article headlined "They will fight against cyber espionage from U.S." says that a Russian delegation, composed of Federation Council members and Foreign Ministry officials, will visit the U.S. to meet with officials to discuss the PRISM surveillance plan; p 6 (689 words).

8. Maria Gorkovskaya article headlined "Supporters of convicted Bo Xilai set up party" says that supporters of disgraced politician Bo Xilai have set up a political party. The article features a Russian expert's comment on the issue; p 7 (689 words).

9. Yanina Sokolovskaya article headlined "Ukrainian parliament leaves Yulia Tymoshenko behind bars" says that a meeting of the Ukrainian parliament, at which bills necessary for Ukraine's integration with the EU should have been adopted, has ended without result; p 7 (567 words).

10. Dmitry Drobnitsky article headlined "Not to form structure" comments on the Defense Ministry's plans to reform the notorious company Oboronservis; p 9 (859 words).

11. Political analyst Kirill Benediktov article headlined "Battles of secret war" says that high-ranking officials have been killed in Iran. This comes amid a certain thaw in Iran-U.S. relations; p 9 (898 words).

12. Political analyst Boris Mezhuyev article headlined "To risk Yanukovych?" says that the Ukrainian president is notable for double-facedness and perfidy and probably Russia should not back him as regards the Customs Union or the Eurasian Union; p 9 (907 words).

Rossiiskaya Gazeta

1. Tatyana Zykova interview with Audit Chamber head Tatyana Golikova, headlined "What about...", who speaks about the performance of the agency, the Russian fiscal policy and budgetary spending; pp 1, 6 (2,969 words).

2. Kira Latukhina article headlined "Pushkin and taekwondo" reports on Putin's visit to South Korea; p 2 (785 words).

3. Tatyana Zamakhina report "Strategist replaced" says that deputy speaker of the State Duma Sergei Zheleznyak will be in charge of forming United Russia's ideology; p 2 (150 words).

4. Tamara Shkel article headlined "Bad weather worse than WTO" says that Agriculture Minister Nikolay Fedorov has delivered a report to the State Duma; p 3 (624 words).

5. Anna Fedyakina report "Iraq waits for investors from Russia" says that the Iraqi ambassador to Russia has visited the office of the newspaper and spoken about the Russian-Iraqi cooperation; p 8 (250 words).

6. Ariadna Rokossovskaya report "Note after note" says that Poland has apologized for the incident outside the Russian Embassy in Warsaw. At the same time, Poland demanded explanations from Russia following an unauthorized rally near the Polish Embassy in Moscow; p 8 (400 words).

Rossiiskaya Gazeta (weekly)

1. Mikhail Barshchevsky interview with lawyer Anatoly Kucherena, headlined "Snowden sticks to his word" who speaks about the life of U.S. leaker Edward Snowden in Russia, among other things; p 8 (1,321 words).

Moskovsky Komsomolets

1. Yeva Merkacheva article headlined "For whom Matrosskaya Tishina [jail] makes fuss?" says that warders in the Matrosskaya Tishina remand center are considering going on a strike because it has become increasingly dangerous to work there due to a shortage of personnel and a large number of prisoners; pp 1, 7 (525 words).

2. Yan Smirnitsky report "Big bribes for Bolshoi Theatre?" comments on rumors about attempts to extort money from a U.S. ballerina who used to work at Bolshoi Theatre; pp 1, 11 (850 words).

3. Viktoriya Prikhodko article headlined "Putin becomes great taekwondo master" looks at Putin's visit to South Korea; p 2 (739 words).

4. Igor Karmazin article headlined "Does governor have an evil eye on mayor?" says that the Astrakhan mayor has been detained on suspicion of corruption; p 2 (404 words).

5. Mikhail Zubov brief interview with Astrakhan opposition activist Oleg Shein, headlined "'Developments around Stolyarov expected and conditioned by his personnel policy'", who comments on the arrest of the Astrakhan mayor on suspicion of corruption; p 2 (259 words).

6. Marina Ozerova article headlined "Twenty years without right to re-write" says that human rights ombudsman Vladimir Lukin has delivered a speech dedicated to the 20th anniversary of the Russian constitution in the State Duma. He opposed amending the constitution, but suggested authorizing the human rights ombudsman to put forward legislative initiatives; p 2 (536 words).

7. Ignat Kalinin article headlined "Shoigu looks for foothold in Balkan states" focuses on Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu's visit to Serbia; p 2 (462 words).

8. Darya Tyukova article headlined "Polish Embassy: We cannot confirm attack" says that the Polish Embassy in Moscow is said to have been attacked, but the Polish diplomatic staff have not confirmed this information; p 2 (280 words).

9. Matvey Ganapolsky article headlined "Putin and comrades Bolsheviks" contemplates Putin's "peacekeeping capabilities" following his statement that he may try to reconcile North Korea and South Korea; p 3 (1,019 words).

10. Oleg Bazak article headlined "Yanukovych may postpone integration with EU" says that the Ukrainian authorities have successfully wrecked the adoption of laws promoting Ukraine's integration with the EU; p 3 (438 words).

11. Yekaterina Petukhova report "Female suicide bombers spread like cockroaches" says that law-enforcement agencies are looking for the women, who were friends of Naida Asiyalova, the reported suicide bomber who blew up a bus in Volgograd on Oct. 2, across the whole country; p 3 (450 words).

12. Dmitry Katorzhnov report headlined "Riding back on United Russia" describes the journalist's experience as a United Russia member; p 4 (2,047 words).

13. Marina Perevozkina article headlined "People killed in couples in Abkhazia" says that an Abkhaz lawmaker has been suspected of killing Russian businessman Sergei Klemantovich in Georgia's breakaway republic Abkhazia; p 4 (483 words).

RBK Daily

1. Kirill Sirotkin article headlined "'All the talks about our incapability to manage without immigrants' labour are very harmful'" is an interview with former Mayor Yury Luzhkov on a number of domestic policy issues; pp 1, 5 (1,900 words).

2. Unattributed article headlined "Astrakhan mayor — third regional capital mayor detained in 2013" says the mayor of the city of Astrakhan, Mikhail Stolyarov, has been detained on bribery allegations; p 6 (200 words).

Noviye Izvestia

1. Konstantin Nikolayev et al. article headlined "Border locked?" says that poor performance of Russian visa centres in European countries makes it difficult for many foreigners to access Russia; pp 1-2 (1,531 words).

2. Vyacheslav Shiryayev interview with Sergei Katyrin, the president of the Chamber of Commerce and Industry, headlined "Law on state industrial policy is necessary", who speaks about the results of Russia's two-year membership in the WTO and about other issues; pp 1, 3 (2,121 words).

3. Yana Sergeieva article headlined "Turning its back to Europe?" says that Ukraine is confidently heading towards the wreck of the signing of an association agreement with the EU. Moreover, the Ukrainian authorities have started to describe the association as an unnecessary move; p 2 (426 words).

4. Artem Lunkov article headlined "On brink of death from starvation" says that one of the defendants in the so-called Bolotnaya case on the May 6,2012, unrest in Moscow's Bolotnaya Square is continuing a hunger strike in protest against being kept in custody. He has not eaten for 56 days; p 2 (278 words).

5. Sergei Putilov article headlined "Call from Tehran" says the decline in world oil prices may be bad for the Russian economy; p 3 (200 words).

Moskovskiye Novosti

1. Andrei Shitikhin article headlined "Rural life under strict protection" reports on residences for participants of 2014 Winter Olympics in Sochi; pp 25-27 (900 words).

Komsomolskaya Pravda

1. Yekaterina Malinina and Yulia Yermakova article headlined "Took money without limit" says the mayor of the city of Astrakhan, Mikhail Stolyarov, has been detained on bribery allegations; p 6 (200 words).

2. Nigina Beroyeva article headlined "Ulyukayev looses to Komsomolskaya Pravda?" says Minister of Economic Development Alexei Ulyukayev has admitted that this years' inflation rate may exceed 6 percent; p 7 (200 words),

3. Galina Sapozhnikova article headlined "Why Baltic people become English Tajiks?" says that emigration of citizens from Latvia, Lithuania and Estonia may be compared to evacuation; pp 10-11 (1,400 words).

Komsomolskaya Pravda (weekly)

1. Olga Rakhimdzhanova article headlined "Russians create currency reserve" says the demand for dollars and savings in foreign currencies has increased due to unfavorable economic forecasts; p 20 (500 words).

2. Yevgeny Belyakov article headlined "Half of Russians live on credit" says more than 70 million Russians used to take loans from banks; p 21 (400 words).

Tvoi Den

1. Alexander Popov article headlined "White salary" says the governor of the Kirov region, Nikita Belykh, has been accused of receiving a bribe from bankers; p 2 (200 words).

2. Ivan Mikhaylov article headlined "Appetite without mayor" says the mayor of the city of Astrakhan, Mikhail Stolyarov, has been detained on bribery allegations; p 2 (100 words).

3. Sergei Vasilyev article headlined "Burning tears" says two officers have been poisoned with rocket fuel at Plesetsk Cosmodrome; p 4 (100 words).