What the Papers Say, March 4, 2014

Kommersant

1. Vitaly Gaidayev article headlined "Market hits bottom" says Russian market indexes have fallen by 11-12 percent and the dollar and the euro soared against the ruble amid the Ukrainian crisis; pp 1, 8 (985 words).

2. Yegor Popov et al. headlined "Bridges brought to Crimea" says Russia has decided to strengthen its positions in Crimea not only with the use of force but also with a large-scale economic project, the construction of a transport corridor connecting the peninsula with the Russian territory; pp 1-2 (884 words).

3. Dmitry Butrin et al. report headlined "Standalone mode of inflow" says the Finance Ministry is getting ready to provide Crimea with financial support. The region can now choose between subsidies from Moscow or Kiev; pp 1-2 (1,049 words).

4. Kirill Melnikov article headlined "Former chancellor to have Rosneft oil poured" says former German Chancellor Gerhard Schroeder can join the board of directors of the Russian oil giant Rosneft; pp 1, 9 (635 words).

5. Kirill Belyaninov and Galina Dudina article headlined "U.S. not going to meet Russia" says the U.S. is putting pressure on Moscow trying to make it stop the operation in Crimea. The U.S., the EU and NATO have gone further than threats and started suspending contacts with Moscow; p 3 (516 words).

6. Yelena Chernenko article headlined "Sergei Lavrov translates from Ukrainian into Western language" says Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov has told the UN that the approval from the Russian Federation Council for the use of Russian troops in Ukraine is aimed at Ukrainian radicals; p 3 (461 words).

7. Ilya Barabanov article headlined "They take masks off in Crimea" says armed people without any identification signs are blocking the Ukrainian military bases in Crimea. Meanwhile, they no longer hide their faces behind the masks; p 3 (661 words).

8. Vsevolod Inyutin interview with newly appointed acting governor of Orel region, Communist lawmaker Vadim Potomsky speaking on his plans for work on the new post; p 4 (553 words).

9. Yury Barsukov article headlined "China will wait" says Gazprom has acknowledged that gas supplies to China will be postponed until 2020 as China and Russia have not reached an agreement on the price of gas; p 7 (471 words).

Nezavisimaya Gazeta

1. Svetlana Gamova article headlined "Chisinau to ask NATO for protection from Russia" says Moldova is going to give up its neutrality status and ask NATO to deploy its troops in the country to protect it from possible Russian invasion. Russian troops in the Dnestr region were put on alert; pp 1, 6 (723 words).

2. Vladimir Mukhin article headlined "We discuss Ukraine, keeping Central Asia in mind" says the Russian Armed Forces are stepping up their presence in the Central Asian region in the run-up to the U.S. troops withdrawal from Afghanistan; pp 1-2 (713 words).

3. Tatyana Ivzhenko article headlined "Ukraine afraid of attacks on nuclear power plants and gas pipelines" says Ukraine is getting ready for a war. Kiev is going to close the country's border with Russia and stop buying gas from Russia's state company Gazprom; pp 1, 6 (1,843 words).

4. Anastasia Bashkatova article headlined "Ukrainian crisis to cost pretty penny to Russia" says Russia may pay up to $500 billion for the Ukrainian crisis if state and private assets belonging to Russians are seized in the West. Moreover, the Finance Ministry is getting ready to allocate funding for social obligations to Crimean residents; pp 1, 4 (912 words).

5. Mikhail Sergeyev article headlined "Elvira Nabiullina's black Monday" says the Central Bank has already paid $100 billion for the Ukrainian crisis. The Bank of Russia pays much for the devaluation of the national currency; pp 1, 4 (677 words).

6. Yury Roks article headlined "They wait for Georgian servicemen in Africa" says Georgia is to take part in the EU military operation in the Central African Republic. Not all of Georgian citizens support the government's decision; pp 1, 6 (625 words).

7. Editorial headlined "Military operations abroad as sovereign privilege" says Russia's claims on Crimea have sent a message to the West that the Russian ruling elite is becoming less reliable and predictable. Moscow is expected to step up pressure on the opposition, as the Kremlin considers opposition activists to be funded by the West; p 2 (499 words).

8. Alexandra Samarina article headlined "Bastrykin prepares bill to Right Sector" says the Russian Investigative Committee has opened a criminal case against Ukrainian nationalist leader Dmytro Yarosh to show the West that he has ties with Chechen insurgents; p 3 (1,081 words).

9. Nikolai Mironov article headlined "Carte blanche. To kill a dragon" praises Russian role in the Ukrainian crisis as Moscow becomes a force capable of curbing neo-Nazism that is spreading in Ukraine; p 3 (1,036 words).

10. Daria Tsilyurik and Yevgeny Grigoriyev article headlined "International isolation threatens Russia" says the West is planning political isolation and economic sanctions against Russia over its operation in Crimea; p 7 (1,091 words).

11. Oleg Vladykin article headlined "Ill-defined rebukes" defends the Federation Council's approval of the use of Russian troops in Crimea, saying that Russia abides by international norms on overseas deployment of troops; p 2 (700 words).

Rossiiskaya Gazeta

1. Vladislav Vorobyev article headlined "We won't exchange millions of our people for G8" says the Foreign Ministry has responded to the Western rhetoric threatening to expel Moscow from the Group of Eight over its invasion of Crimea. Russia said it is not afraid of leaving the organization; pp 1, 8 (1,007 words).

2. Vladislav Kulikov interview with Yevgeny Semyanko, president of the Federal Chamber of Lawyers, speaking on the violation of lawyers' rights at some detention centers, which they visit to meet their clients; pp 1, 6 (2,460 words).

3. Vitaly Petrov article headlined "Senate, how will your word be taken?" says the Federation Council has advised Putin to withdraw the Russian ambassador from the U.S. in response to Washington's harsh rhetoric towards Russian plans in Ukraine; p 2 (793 words).

4. Maxim Makarychev article headlined "Investigations Committee hears calls from Maidan" has opened a criminal case against leader of Ukrainian nationalists Dmytro Yarosh over his calls for violence against the Russian Federation; p 8 (813 words).

Vedomosti

1. Olga Kuvshinova article headlined "Hysterical moment" says the Ukrainian crisis has crushed the Russian stock market. The situation may speed up the recession of the Russian economy; pp 1, 5 (800 words).

2. Editorial headlined "To mobilize economy" predicts that the Kremlin will step up control over the Russian economy and financial flows. The situation threatens with high inflation; pp 1, 6 (500 words).

3. Another editorial headlined "Crimea everywhere" says former Soviet states are negative about the Russian plans in Crimea. Kazakhstan is afraid that possible economic sanctions against Russia will affect other members of the Customs Union; p 6 (400 words).

4. Mikhail Serov and Yelena Khodyakova article headlined "Europe pumps out gas" says that European clients of the Russian state company Gazprom are buying more gas amid fears that its transit through Ukraine may be stopped; p 12 (600 words).

5. Kirill Rogov article headlined "Dealing for rise" says that the deployment of Russian troops in Crimea is the latest episode in a series of conflicts between Russia and the West; pp 6-7 (1,300 words).

Izvestia

1. Alena Sivkova and Ruben Garsya article headlined "Right for civil defense being extended for citizens" says the Russian Federation Council is drafting a bill giving people more rights for self-defense; pp 1-2 (585 words).

2. Lyudmila Podobedova article headlined "Gas prices for population may grow by 50 percent" says Russian consumers will pay more for gas as gas transportation costs will increase; pp 1, 3 (698 words).

3. Svetlana Subbotina interview with A Just Russia lawmaker Yelena Mizulina over her proposal to reform the Russian Family Code; pp 1, 4 (1,514 words).

4. Yegor Sozayev-Guriyev article headlined "Putin checks armed forces' performance" says Putin has watched a large-scale military exercise held in the western part of Russia amid the Ukrainian crisis; p 2 (409 words).

5. Svetlana Povoraznyuk article headlined "Public television says goodbye to half of its personnel" says over a half of the staff of the state-funded Russian Public television, or OTR, quit their jobs; p 5 (305 words).

Moskovsky Komsomolets

1. Nikolai Makeyev et al. report headlined "War on ruble" says the Russian economy has lost 2,000 billon rubles ($54.7 billion) within a day due to the Ukrainian crisis and the threat of economic sanctions against Russia; pp 1-2 (700 words).

2. Marina Perevozkina article headlined "Crimea fights information attack back" says the situation in Crimea is far from being escalated, people live their normal lives. The Western media, however, is extorting the picture of the developments in the region; pp 1, 3 (700 words).

3. Leonid Mlechin article headlined "If Cold War starts over again" says that the experience of the previous Cold War will help Russia understand what to expect if it starts once again due to the situation in Ukraine; p 3 (1,100 words).

RBK Daily

1. Maria Gridneva et al. report "Goodbye, $72 billon" says that "one day of the Russian special-purpose troops' presence in Crimea has cost Russia $72 billion"; pp 1, 3 (1,100 words).

2. Ivan Petrov et al. report "Crimean gambit" says that Ukraine is losing control over the east of the country and Putin is losing the perception of "reality as to what is going on"; pp 1-2 (2,500 words).

3. Alisa Shtykina report "Governors to chip in for Crimea" says that the Federation Council has prepared a document asking Russian regions to transfer R4bn as aid to Crimea; p 3 (450 words).

4. Timofei Dzyadko report "Ukraine presses on gas" says that the Naftohaz Ukrayiny oil and gas company has increased the import of Russian gas by several times; p 7 (600 words).

Noviye Izvestia

1. Mark Agatov report "Unidentified soldiers" looks at the situation in Ukraine and says that people in camouflage clothing continue to seize Ukrainian military facilities; pp 1-2 (600 words).

2. Sergei Putilov interview "We find ourselves hostages of short-sighted policy" with deputy head of the State Duma budget and taxes committee Oksana Dmitriyeva of A Just Russia, who comments on the crisis in Ukraine and how it may affect Russia's economy; p 1 (400 words).

3. Yana Sergeyeva report "Unarmed defense" looks at the crisis in Ukraine and says that the country's leaders are calling on citizens to stay calm; p 2 (1,300 words).

4. Vardan Ogandzhanyan report "Legal base prepared to annex Crimea" says that the State Duma has registered a bill on the acceptance of new constituent parts of the Russian Federation; p 2 (250 words).

5. Yekaterina Dyatlovskaya report "Not matching scale of violations" says that the Russian presidential human rights council is split over Russia's use of force against Ukraine; p 2 (450 words).

6. Artem Lunkov report "Tastes differ" says that according to a Levada Centre poll, two-thirds of those polled say that the authorities are controlling the Russian mass media; p 2 (450 words).

Trud

1. Sergei Frolov report "Southeastern wind" looks at the situation in Ukraine and says that "Ukrainian turmoil is unfolding not at all according to the scenario that was planned; pp 1-2 (900 words).

2. Vasily Koltashev report "'We will work even with fascists"' says that members of the European Parliament are ready to "be friends against Russia" with anyone; pp 1-2 (700 words).

3. Alexei Ovchinnikov report "Almost all security agencies of peninsula take oath of loyalty to people of Crimea" looks at the situation in Crimea; p 4 (1,100 words).

March. 4, 2014 / BBC Monitoring / ©BBC