What the Papers Say, April 14, 2014

Kommersant

1. Vladislav Novy article headlined "Rostelecom connects to Crimea" says that Russia's largest government-owned telecommunications company Rostelecom has practically completed building a communications link through the Kerch Strait, which will directly connect Crimea with other Russian regions; pp 1, 3 (461 words).

2. Anastasia Fomicheva and Yelena Kovaleva article headlined "Yury Kovalchuk to service two percent of GDP" says that Bank Rossia, which has come under U.S. sanctions and lost an opportunity to operate abroad, will replace Alfa Bank as a single bank on the wholesale energy market; p 1 (620 words).

3. Sofia Samokhina et al. article headlined "Income becomes known in stability" looks at the 2013 income declarations submitted by governmental and presidential administration officials. The Russian ruling tandem's incomes have decreased as compared to 2012. Ministers' incomes are significantly higher than those of the presidential staff; pp 1, 4 (1,386 words).

4. Viktor Khamrayev article headlined "From present to kickback" says that President Vladimir Putin has approved a national plan for combating corruption for 2014-15; p 2 (554 words).

5.Natalya Korchenkova and Anna Pushkarskaya article headlined "Mikhail Dmitriyev gets command to leave" says that Vladimir Knyaginin has been elected the president of the Centre of Strategic Development. Former president Mikhail Dmitriyev and some his colleagues have quit the organization; p 2 (628 words).

6. Irina Nagornykh and Ivan Safronov article headlined "Vladimir Putin has one more adviser" says that the head of the presidential secretariat Anton Kobyakov has been dismissed from the post and appointed presidential adviser in charge of organizing international events attended by the president; p 2 (464 words).

7. Article by the newspaper's political section headlined "'These horror stories are disproportionate to financing'" says that regional heads have differently assessed a bill enabling the president and the prime minister to hand over federal powers to regions; p 2 (657 words).

8. Ivan Safronov article headlined "Crimean industry involved into arms race" says that the Russian military have made a list of Crimean defense enterprises, with which state defense orders can be placed; p 3 (540 words).

9. Natalya Gorodetskaya article headlined "Moscow and St. Petersburg are leaders in strife" says that the first ever ethnic tension rating of Russian regions has been compiled. Moscow, St. Petersburg, Stavropol region and the republic of Tatarstan have the most tense ethnic situation in Russia; p 3 (568 words).

10. Yulia Rybina article headlined "Recalled rally held in support of suspended mayor" says that a rally held on April 12 in support of Makhachkala mayor Said Amirov, who has been suspended from office over charges of having masterminded a terrorist attack and a murder, has been dispersed; p 6 (581 words).

11. Ilya Barabanov article headlined "They part and talk" says that supporters and opponents of Ukraine's federalization have held rallies in the country's eastern regions. Peaceful rallies ended in clashes, the article says; p 7 (877 words).

12. Yanina Sokolovskaya article headlined "Mass checks await Ukraine" says that three bills on lustration have been submitted to the Ukrainian parliament. Many Ukrainian politicians may lose their posts due to these bills. The article also features a Russian expert's comment on the issue; p 7 (590 words).

13. Sergei Strokan and Yanina Sokolovskaya article headlined "Farewell of Slovyansk" says that Donetsk region has become the centre of the strong-arm confrontation in Ukraine's southeast. The result of this confrontation will determine not only the future of the new authorities in Kiev, but also Ukraine, and may aggravate the standoff between Russia and the West, the article says; p 7 (925 words).

14. Tatyana Yedovina article headlined "Ukraine to wait little bit" says that participants in the G20 finance ministers' meeting in Washington have agreed to provide financial aid to Ukraine and assist in restoring the Ukrainian economy. However, these measures cannot be taken without Russia; p 8 (421 words).

15. Petr Netreba article headlined "Far East Development Ministry cuts budget" says that the financing of the state program for the socioeconomic development of the Far East and the Baikal region has been cut tenfold; p 8 (547 words).

16. Dmitry Butrin article published in the regular column headlined "Rules of game" focuses on the April 13 session of the IMF and the World Bank in Washington; p 9 (395 words).

17. Yury Barsukov and Olga Kuznetsova article headlined "Turkey wants to bypass Ukraine" says that Turkey has made it clear that it is not going to give up energy cooperation with Russia over the Ukraine crisis. Ankara has suggested increasing the capacity of the Blue Stream gas pipeline, which, according to experts, may lift the country's dependence on gas supplies via Ukraine; p 9 (569 words).

Nezavisimaya Gazeta

1. Vladimir Mukhin article headlined "General Staff quadruples contract servicemen recruitment plan" says that mainly contract servicemen will do military service in Crimea and Sevastopol. So, the General Staff of the Russian Armed Forces have quadrupled the recruitment plan for contract servicemen in 2014; pp 1-2 (654 words).

2. Ivan Rodin article headlined "Peculiarities of Russian justice in Crimea" looks at the changes that the judicial systems of Crimea and Sevastopol will undergo after they have become parts of Russia; pp 1, 3 (826 words).

3. Oleg Nikiforov and Mikhail Sergeyev article headlined "Gazprom's European strategy awaits great changes" says that today the EU is expected to respond to Putin's letter about the consequences of the Ukraine crisis for the Russian gas transit to Europe. Ukraine is interested in a gas conflict with Moscow as it enables it to demand additional aid from Europe, the article says; pp 1, 4 (810 words).

4. Tatyana Ivzhenko article headlined "Fire in Ukraine's east" describes the situation in Ukraine's eastern regions enveloped in riots. The Ukrainian authorities cannot take control over the situation, article says; pp 1, 6 (1,507 words).

5. Yevgenia Novikova article headlined "Chlorine against Assad" says that a gas attack has happened in a settlement to the north of Damascus; pp 1, 6 (649 words).

6. Daria Tsilyurik article headlined "Washington sees Moscow's hand in Slovyansk" says that the U.S. has accused Russia of trying to make Ukraine's eastern regions split from Ukraine according to the Crimea scenario. This, as well as the use of force against protesters in Donetsk Region, threatens to wreck a meeting between Russia, Ukraine, the EU and the U.S. in Geneva on the Ukraine crisis settlement; pp 1, 6 (714 words).

7. Alexei Gorbachev article headlined "Moscow says 'no' to censorship" says that a March of Truth rally in protest against censorship in the media has been held in Moscow. Cultural figures, but not politicians, have turned to be the main speakers at the rally; p 2 (429 words).

8. Oleg Vladykin article headlined "Military and technical cooperation with Russia stopped" says that the Ukrainian state-run concern Ukroboronprom has announced suspending military and technical cooperation with Russia; p 2 (688 words).

9. Editorial headlined "Playing without goal" comments on Putin's meeting with activists from the All-Russia People's Front on April 10; p 2 (513 words).

10. Igor Naumov article headlined "Government members collect cars and plots of land" reports on the 2013 income declarations submitted by the Russian ministers and presidential administration officials; p 4 (965 words).

11. Oleg Nikiforov report "Dangerous diversification in nuclear sphere" says that using U.S. fuel for nuclear power plants poses unpredictable environmental danger for Kiev; p 4 (800 words).

12. Yury Paniyev report "NATO moves to Russia" says that Russophobia in NATO prevails over the need to ensure security; pp 9-10 (900 words).

13. Sergei Zhiltsov report "Ukraine moves to federalization" looks at the situation in Ukraine and says that Kiev continues to ignore the opinion of the country's southeastern regions; p 11 (950 words).

14. Anatoly Plugaru report "Russia's recognition of Dnestr region will untie NATO's hands" says that Chisinau may become Moscow's ally during restoration of Moldova's territorial integrity; p 11 (750 words).

Vedomosti

1. Pavel Aptekar report headlined "Charm of asceticism" says that judging by the 2013 income declaration campaign, officials' incomes have begun to decrease; pp 1, 6 (400 words).

2. Anastasia Kornya article headlined "Corruption as business" says that according to a national plan for combating corruption for 2014-15, control over the use of budget funds will be carried out also covertly; p 2 (650 words).

3. Lilia Biryukova and Svetlana Bocharova article headlined "Fund behind front line" says that the All-Russia People's Front will hold a media forum in St. Petersburg on April 23-25 , at which a support fund for regional media outlets may be established; p 2 (500 words).

4. Polina Khimshiashvili and Alexei Nikolsky article headlined "More and more Donetsk people" says that pro-Russian riots continue in Ukraine's Donetsk region. Meanwhile, the international community still blames Russia for orchestrating the events, the article says; p 3 (400 words).

5. Lilia Biryukova article headlined "Self-dissolution for future" says that the political council of the Volgograd region branch of the ruling United Russia party will hold a meeting today, at which a decision to dissolve the council and elect a new one may be made; p 3 (650 words).

6. Alexander Rubtsov article headlined "Lost civilization" focuses on Russia's new state culture policy; p 6-7 (2,000 words).

7. Konstantin Sonin article headlined "No longer cheap money" tries to explain why most economists believe that the Ukraine crisis has negatively affected the Russian economy; p 7 (500 words).

8. Dmitry Kamyshev article headlined "Person of week: Mikhail Gorbachev" says that five State Duma deputies have asked the Prosecutor-General's Office to study the circumstances of the U.S.S.R.'s collapse and prosecute those who are to blame for this, mainly Soviet president Mikhail Gorbachev; p 7 (300 words).

9. Yelena Khodyakova article headlined "Who to pay for gas" says that Ukraine has suspended payments for Russian gas over an increase in the gas price as from April 1 and is trying to establish reverse gas supplies from Europe. The latter is preparing for a new gas war; p 12 (500 words).

10. Nikolay Epple report "Island Russia" looks at the concept of buffer states; p 6 (400 words).

Izvestia

1. Alexei Krivoruchek article headlined "Defense minister establishes medal named after Mikhail Kalashnikov" says that Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu has signed an order to establish a medal named after late Russian weapons designer Mikhail Kalashnikov; pp 1-2 (735 words).

2. Vladimir Zykov article headlined "Journalist's inquiry to be equalled to deputy one" says that State Duma lawmaker Ilya Kostunov has drafted amendments to the law on media and the Administrative Offense Code, which oblige representatives of state bodies of power, local government, other organizations and public movements to respond to electronic inquiries from the media; pp 1-2 (544 words).

3. Pavel Kochegarov article headlined "Oboronservis asked to return millions for military school project" says that the Moscow-based company Stroimonitoring has filed a lawsuit against a subsidiary of the Defense Ministry's company Oboronservis, seeking to recover a debt for the design of a military school project being built in Tyva; pp 1, 4 (616 words).

4. Sergei Podosenov article headlined "Citizens afraid of new prices hike" says that a public opinion poll conducted by the All-Russia Public Opinion Research Centre has shown that 62 percent of Russians, which is the highest index over the last few years, consider inflation and prices hike the most serious problem; pp 1-2 (478 words).

5. Lyudmila Podobedova et al. article headlined "State corporations to send employees to Crimea for holidays" says that a number of Russia's largest state-run corporations, including oil and gas and energy giants, have decided to send their employees to Crimea for holiday at their cost; pp 1, 4 (1,010 words).

6. Alexandra Bayazitova and Anastasia Alexeyevskikh article headlined "Central Bank and State Duma prepare fines for Visa and MasterCard" says that the Central Bank will be able to fine international payment systems Visa and MasterCard for suspending servicing of bank cards if the law on a national payment system is correspondingly amended; pp 1, 4 (603 words).

7. Yelena Teslova and Anastasia Kashevarova article headlined "Education at schools under NGOs to become political activity" says that the State Duma wants the nongovernmental organizations that set up human rights schools with money received from abroad, to be labelled as foreign agents; pp 1, 4 (853 words).

8. Anastasia Kashevarova article headlined "'Freedom of speech' existed for one's own people on Sakharov Avenue" describes a rally in defense of the freedom of speech and in support of independent media outlets that has been held in Moscow. A mere 3,000 people instead of the expected 50,000 took part in the rally, the article says; p 3 (568 words).

9. Andrei Gridasov article headlined "Former Makhachkala mayor to be sentenced by terrorism specialist" says that a trial of former Makhachkala mayor Said Amirov, charged with having masterminded a terrorist attack and an attempted murder, has begun; p 5 (503 words).

10. Svetlana Subbotina interview with Yevgeny Dod, the head of one of Russia's largest power generating companies, RusGidro, headlined "'Rich years end,'" speaking about the company's plans till 2025, the fight against corruption and the prosecution of the company's top managers, among other things; p 6 (2,968 words).

11. Irina Nenasheva article headlined "Domestic journalists excel European and U.S. colleagues in salaries" says that according to foreign recruiting agencies, Russian journalists' average salaries are bigger than those of foreign journalists; p 7 (752 words).

12. Yury Matsarsky article headlined "'We cannot risk hostages' lives'" shares the journalist's impression of a trip to a fortification near the Syrian town of Kessab; p 8 (1,270 words).

13. Konstantin Volkov article headlined "Slavic popular assembly" reports on the state of affairs in Ukraine's eastern regions and features experts' comments on the issue; pp 1, 8 (774 words).

14. Maxim Sokolov article headlined "Soviet president faced with trial" comments on an initiative to prosecute those guilty of the U.S.S.R.'s collapse put forward by a group of State Duma deputies; p 9 (733 words).

15. Pundit Oleh Bondarenko article headlined "Ideology of Russian Spring" says that the rise of Russian-speaking people in the post-Soviet space has defined a new ideology of Russia, that is the "collection of Russian lands"; p 9 (768 words).

Rossiiskaya Gazeta

1. Sergei Maslennikov article headlined "Enough strength. More intellect needed" describes the situation in Ukraine's Slovyansk and features a Russian expert's comment on the issue; pp 1, 7 (1,707 words).

2. Kira Latukhina and Tatyana Shadrina article headlined "Bad to read someone else's letters" says that Putin has addressed the leaders of EU member states that consume Russian gas to clarify Russia's stance on gas relations with Ukraine. The EU is expected to issue an official response to Putin's letter today; p 2 (1,161 words).

3. Ivan Yegorov brief interview with Prosecutor-General Yury Chaika, headlined "Wait for amnesty", who speaks about changes that the judicial system of Crimea and Sevastopol will undergo soon; p 4 (960 words).

4. Yekaterina Zabrodina report "Turchynov uses army against people" says that Moscow has said that the Kiev authorities' order to use the army against people who stage protests in eastern Ukraine, is crime; p 7 (350 words).

Moskovsky Komsomolets

1. Olga Rozhkova and Mikhail Zubov article headlined "Richest in Kremlin is presidential envoy to Crimea Belaventsev, poorest is Putin" looks at the richest and poorest officials in Russia judging by the 2013 income declarations; pp 1, 4 (805 words).

2. Marina Perevozkina article headlined "Russian Spring: First blood" says that information about clashes between protesters and law enforcers in Slovyansk, Donetsk region is contradictory; pp 1-2 (382 words).

3. Nikolai Makeyev article headlined "Russian shares sent to east" says that according to Deputy Prime Minister Igor Shuvalov, Russia will not introduce economic sanctions against the West. However, two days before this he advised Russian companies to recall shares from Western markets and place them at the Moscow exchange or at exchanges in Asia; p 2 (576 words).

4. Yelena Gamayun article headlined "Avakov marks Palm Sunday with special operation" denies information that Russian saboteurs have had a hand in the ongoing riots in Ukraine's southeast; p 2 (622 words).

5. Mikhail Delyagin article headlined "Sitting on fence without court" says that Russia's further development is impossible without normal justice; p 3 (1,127 words).

6. Leonid Berres et al. article headlined "Declarations without intentions. Abyzov is richest minister" looks at the 2013 income declaration campaign and features political experts' comments on whether or not the campaign is an effective means to combat corruption; p 4 (764 words).

Novaya Gazeta

1. Pavel Kanygin article headlined "'We demanded and still demand federalization, but they palmed off decentralization. It is no go!'" gives an account of the events in southeastern Ukraine where pro-Russian protesters have clashed with law enforcers; pp 2-3 (1,975 words).

2. Alexander Mineyev article headlined "We lose nothing, except for face" explains why Russia needs the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe; p 3 (694 words).

3. Olga Musafirova article headlined "'Honest journalists will understand and forgive us'" describes obstacles that Novaya Gazeta journalists have come across when trying to enter Ukraine; p 6 (540 words).

4. Yulia Latynina article headlined "Baron Rogozin on Moon" says that Russia is lagging behind other countries in exploring space and tries to explain this; p 7 (780 words).

5. Vasily Zharkov article headlined "Tale about fisherman and fish: Crimean remake" contemplates Russia's foreign policy given the Russia-West standoff over the Ukrainian crisis; p 9 (694 words).

6. Nadezhda Prusenkova article headlined "Killings for mutual payment" gives an update on the trial of the Novaya Gazeta journalist Anna Politkovskaya's murder case; pp 16-17 (2,112 words).

7. Alexander Vasilyev article headlined "With salary only?" looks at Russian top officials' income declarations for 2013; p 19 (543 words).

8. Valery Shiryaev article headlined "Who was in power under [former Russian Defense Minister] Serdyukov?" says that it is the standpoint of the military prosecutor's office that prevents the Oboronservis case of alleged corruption in the Defense Ministry from being closed; p 15 (900 words).

Tvoi Den

1. Anton Stepanov article titled "Slovyansk on spilled blood" reports on the situation in the Ukrainian city of Slovyansk, where an antiterrorist operation is in progress; pp 2-3 (350 words).

2. Anton Stepanov article titled "We, Slavs" reports on the situation in southeastern Ukraine, whose residents are asking Russia to protect them from nationalists; pp 4-5 (350 words).

3. Ivan Mikhaylov article headlined "Mayor of Slovyansk: Our police with people" says that residents of Slovyansk are planning to hold a referendum on its status; p 4 (150 words).

Komsomolskaya Pravda

1. Nigina Beroyeva interview with Ukrainian presidential candidate and former Party of Regions lawmaker Oleh Tsaryov saying that the authorities in Kiev are doing everything to lose the eastern part of the country; p 5 (700 words).

2. Alexei Pankin interview with head of the Russian International Affairs Council Andrey Kortunov speculating on whether Russia has allies on the world arena; p 7 (1,200 words).

3. Yevgeny Arsyukhin interview with Maxim Medvedkov, director of the department of trade negotiations at the Ministry of Economic Development, speaking on the state of Russian production sector and food prices; p 8 (900 words).

RBK Daily

1. Svetlana Reyter et al. article headlined "Slovyansk uprising" reports on the situation in the Ukrainian city of Slovyansk and says that the paper's source in the Russian presidential administration said Russia would not bring troops into Ukraine; pp 1-2 (1,400 words).

2. Zhanna Ulyanova article titled "Putin becoming even poorer, ministers even richer" analyses Russian officials' income declarations for 2013, saying that President Vladimir Putin and Prime Minister Dmitry Medvedev have earned less money than in 2013; pp 1, 3 (700 words).

3. Yelena Tofanyuk article headlined "Don't get into a flap" says that Sberbank's corporate investment department, CIB, has invited a group of foreign investors and organized a meeting between them and representatives of the Finance Ministry, the Economic Development Ministry and Russian pundits. RBK reports that the investors say they think the situation over Ukrainian crisis will soon be settled; pp 1, 8 (450 words)

4. Ivan Tkachev and Timofei Dzyadko report "Forbidden shelf" says the Crimean energy company, Chernomorneftegaz, has fallen under the sanctions imposed by the U.S. and Canada against Russia over the situation in Crimea; p 5 (700 words)

April. 14, 2014 / BBC Monitoring / ©BBC