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Articles by Rachel Nielsen
news
Estonia Launches New Channel to Win Over Its Russians
On Monday, ethnic Russians in Estonia will wake up to a new television channel created expressly for them, a move by the Estonian government to reach out...
news
DreamWorks Battles NBCUniversal for Theme-Park Title
DreamWorks Animation is challenging fellow U.S. media company NBCUniversal for the title of first major theme park operator in Russia, just as the overall...
news
Mobile Operators Look to Scartel for 4G Help
Established 4G wireless provider Scartel is talking with the big three mobile operators — MegaFon, VimpelCom and Mobile TeleSystems — about forming...
news
Q&A: Venture Fund Chief Investing in Human Capital
He has had long discussions with Microsoft founder Bill Gates, sits on the Skolkovo Foundation’s board of trustees with Prime Minister Dmitry Medvedev...
news
Real Estate Tax Changes in the Works
Properties with multiple owners could be taxed multiple times, as the state seeks to fill its coffers on thanks to real estate.
news
Progress Being Made On Space Launch Pad
The government will complete infrastructure construction this year for the Vostochny space launch facility, an alternative to Kazakhstan’s Baikonur Cosmodrome...
news
MegaFon Said to Weigh Tele2 Buy-Up Plan
Garsdale, the parent company of mobile operator MegaFon, has made a proposal to VimpelCom and Mobile TeleSystems under which Garsdale would buy up...
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Russian Post Delays Drag On
More delays lie ahead for consumers who did their holiday shopping through online retailers based abroad, as Russian Post announced Wednesday that it...
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MTS' Uzbek Division Files for Bankruptcy
With the Uzbek division of Mobile TeleSystems filing for bankruptcy in the face of a $600 million government fine, the mobile giant is facing a struggle...
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State Wants Bidders' Owners Unveiled
The government is drafting measures to force bidders in the sales of state companies to reveal their beneficiaries, giving information about who will...
news
Commercial Property Investment Plateaus
The commercial property market is poised to notch another multibillion-dollar figure this year as economic factors support the purchases of malls,...
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Chart: What to Expect in the Telecommunications Industry Next Year
Mobile services are developing at a fast clip, more Russians are using the Internet and online retailers are carving up the market — all trends this...
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Sauer Says Onexim Isn't Bidding For Vedomosti
Derk Sauer, chairman of Sanoma Independent Media's supervisory board and president of Onexim media division RBC, denied a newspaper report Tuesday...
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Election Webcams Lead Yandex Searches
Bigger than the releases of an Apple iPad computer and the Star Wars version of "Angry Birds," the live videos of ballot boxes and bundled-up voters...
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Customs Officials Tout Corruption Battle
The Federal Customs Service said Thursday that since it started its anti-corruption division it has opened more than 100 criminal cases related to bribery...
news
Small-Business Association Defends Foreign Cooperation
The head of Opora vowed Wednesday to continue the small-business association's cooperation with a U.S.-Russian business group that he said was maligned...
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Medvedev Announces Housing Strategy
Prime Minister Dmitry Medvedev on Monday put forth a finalized version of the government's plan for improving the country's dilapidated housing stock...
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Russia Tests Global Internet Rules
Although Russian proposals on Internet regulation ahead of Monday's opening of the International Telecommunication Union conference in Dubai have worried...
news
Alekperov's Social Enterprise Invests $4.8M Over 5 Years
An organization set up and financed by LUKoil chief Vagit Alekperov has provided interest-free loans totaling $4.8 million over the past five years...
news
Companies Hunt for Offices Outside Center
The construction of brand-new office buildings and the demand for existing office space are most pronounced in Moscow's outskirts and suburbs, real...
news
YouTube Pages 'Mistakenly' Put on Blacklist
In an incident that led to confusion and anger on the Russian-speaking Internet, a handful of YouTube webpages appeared on the government's Internet...
news
Officials Consider St. Pete's Merger With Suburbs
The authorities of St. Petersburg and the Leningrad region, which spreads out from its city limits, are playing up a newfound level of cooperation...
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Putin Misses Business Group's Forum
At Wednesday's congress of a major business lobbying group, the president of the country pulled a no-show, the first deputy prime minister told the group...
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Physical Threats Mark Construction Fight
Construction of a restaurant in Moscow's Lefortovo neighborhood has led to physical threats and written complaints after a handful of local residents...
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Ballmer Touts New Windows and Local R&D
Microsoft chief executive Steve Ballmer breezed into Moscow on Tuesday to hype mobile devices using the newest version of the U.S. software giant’s operating...
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Web Agency Fields 5,000 Ban Requests
The Communications and Press Ministry was inundated with more than 5,000 requests to ban various websites on the day a new Internet restriction law took...
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IBM to Share Technology With Reiman's Firm
International Business Machines has struck a deal to provide designs for chipset production to domestic chipmaker Angstrem, a step by the global...
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Internet Restriction Law Comes On Line
The law giving government agencies the power to order Internet companies to block material the state deems illegal came into force Thursday.
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Medvedev Pledges Support for High Tech
Prime Minister Dmitry Medvedev pledged Wednesday to give "maximum support" to the country's fledgling next-generation technology ventures, while Moscow...
news
Mail.Ru Aims For Global Expansion
Internet giant Mail.Ru announced Tuesday that it is ramping up its overseas business, a move that comes as it tries to keep pace with competitors.
news
Officials Step Up Fight Against Housing Fraud
Officials ranging from local investigators to the president have been talking up their measures to combat widespread fraud in residential real estate...
news
Business Group Pushes Its Own Pension Reform
As the government looks to announce another proposal next month to change the country's pension system, business lobbying group Delovaya Rossia is...
news
Belousov Updates Cabinet on Privatization
Officials spelled out more specifics of the planned sales of government assets and said Rosneft's planned $61 billion acquisition of TNK-BP won't halt...
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Outsourcing Business Faces Bumpy Road
When consumer electronics company M.Video was transforming itself into a nationwide chain, it had to make a choice: set up the information-technology systems...
news
Medvedev Urges Copyright Enforcement
With counterfeits making up perhaps as much as a quarter of manufactured goods sold in Russia, Prime Minister Dmitry Medvedev called Monday for the...
news
Burger King Aims to Grab Market Share
Burger King is looking to catch up to its Western fast-food rivals in Russia and increase its market share, arming itself with an ambitious plan for opening...
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Government Move to Expanded Moscow in Doubt
In what might be the death knell for Prime Minister Dmitry Medvedev's plan to relocate federal ministries to Moscow's newly adjoined land, Kremlin...
news
Q&A: For McDonald's Khasbulatov, It's All About People
Of all the places you might look for a person who once ran state-owned restaurants in the Soviet Union, the echelons of top executives at McDonald’s...
news
Rostelecom Could Issue New Debt
Investment banks are advising Rostelecom to sell convertible bonds, but the move might not be in line with the government's plan to wind up as the majority...
news
Skartel to Open Network to More Operators
Wireless Internet provider Skartel is reportedly preparing to open its network to more operators, increasing its clout in the market.
news
Sobyanin Vows to Keep 'New Moscow' Green
Mayor Sergei Sobyanin is promising that the piece of the Moscow region appended to the capital earlier this year won’t be covered with new construction...
news
Towns Face Budget Battles They Can't Win
In a recent comedy sketch show, a police officer forks over the pay raise that he hid from his wife after she hears President Vladimir Putin announce...
news
Education Deficiencies Limit Startups
Shortcomings in technical education, early-stage funding and government support make launching a startup even more daunting here than in other countries...
news
Internet Business Expands While Restrictions Grow
Internet businesses are demonstrating strong sales across the board, in areas ranging from website development to online marketing, executives and researchers...
news
Working Group Supports Closing Entire Websites
The working group responsible for defining the rules to accompany the law restricting Internet content that goes into effect next month decided last week...
news
Small Mobile Players Pursue 4G Alternatives
With the government’s broadband wireless spectrum now in the hands of Rostelecom and the Big Three mobile operators, the losers in this year’s 4G-spectrum...
news
City Hall Eyes $29Bln Transportation Program
Moscow City Hall is seeking tens of billions of dollars to fund a gargantuan metro expansion, gigantic road projects and almost 2 million square meters...
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Warehouse Space Selling Out Before It's Built
The demand for warehouse space in Moscow is breaking records as the increasing number of malls and chain stores ups the need for high-tech storage...
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MTS Contract With Yevroset at Risk
Mobile TeleSystems could face an uphill battle to keep selling service plans through Yevroset because of possible ownership changes at the mobile...
news
Church to Keep Using State Land for Free
The Russian Orthodox Church is prevailing in a dispute over its free use of government land on which its buildings are located, potentially avoiding...
news
Sochi and Soccer Drive Hotel Boom
With multinational hotel companies gearing up for the 2014 Winter Olympic Games and 2018 FIFA World Cup, as well as trying to cash in on rising domestic...
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McDonald's Schedules Siberian Expansion
After serving more than 2 billion fast-food meals and opening more than 300 locations here, McDonald's has committed to opening its first restaurants...
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Putin to Choose State Company Executives
President Vladimir Putin has issued directives giving his administration the right to choose top executives at a slew of state corporations, including...
news
Shoigu Promotes Transparency, Elections Coverage
With the Moscow region struggling to make land transactions less opaque and attract more corporate investment, Governor Sergei Shoigu has been ramping...
news
Outlet Mall Boom Under Way in Moscow
Moscow is getting a spate of outlet malls, with U.S. real estate developer and investor Hines and local developer Belaya Dacha opening the first of them...
news
Analyst Questions Kremlin's Threats Against Iran
With Iran suing Rosoboronexport for as much as $4 billion over the arms exporter's refusal to deliver S-300 missile systems, the Kremlin's recent diplomatic...
news
Sistema Weighs Next Steps in India Mobile Market
AFK Sistema is redoubling efforts to find mobile service provider partners in India as it deals with drawn-out uncertainty over its revoked wireless...
news
MTS to Protest Uzbek Arrests, Raiding
A Tashkent court has upheld an Uzbek government decision to revoke the telecommunications licenses of a Mobile TeleSystems subsidiary in Uzbekistan...
news
Putin Backs Moscow Expansion
More than a year after the federal government said it would extend Moscow's boundaries to the southwest — and more than a month after the capital's...
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Skolkovo Construction as Challenging as Innovation
In the summer of 2014, the Skolkovo Innovation Center at Moscow's western edge is supposed to welcome eight world leaders and thousands of other...
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Armenian Airline to Drop Superjet 100
Armenian national airline Armavia, the first buyer of the Sukhoi Superjet 100, says it wants to return the midrange aircraft to the manufacturer because...
news
Online Advertising Firm Gets $10M
Venture investment firm iTech Capital has placed $10 million into SeoPult, a company offering Internet marketing tools to small online businesses, to assist...
news
Spanish Fuss Poses Olympic-Sized Test for Bosco
As Spain's leading athletes go in and out of the Olympic Village during this summer's games, they probably have a whole raft of questions on their minds...
news
Medvedev Makes It Big on Twitter
Prime Minister Dmitry Medvedev is one of the most engaged users of Twitter among heads of government, while President Vladimir Putin ranks among the least...
news
Clean Sources of Tap Water in Short Supply
When Moscow officials recently banned swimming in half of the city's outdoor bathing spots, the news underlined a perpetual worry: that the water...
news
Web Providers Brace for Restriction Bill
Internet service providers are adding and expanding their systems for scrutinizing online content as they prepare for the onset of the new Internet...
news
Internet Bill Could Raise Costs
Internet service providers and website-hosting companies might need to buy extra equipment to meet the website-blocking requirements in the government's...
news
Family Feud Hits Idyllic Gated Community
Just beyond the northwestern edge of the capital, the Rosinka townhouse development offers a slice of Western suburbia in the Moscow region, with...
news
4G Winners to Spend $1.8Bln a Year
The Big 3 mobile operators and state-owned telecommunications giant Rostelecom have won licenses to operate 4G mobile high-speed networks and will...
news
Internet Restriction Bill Flies Through Duma
Legislation creating a “website blacklist” sailed through the State Duma on Wednesday, though not before deputies amended the bill amid continued protest...
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Gazprom Flops in Transparency Ranking
Gazprom fared poorly in a corporate anti-corruption report published Tuesday by global watchdog Transparency International, though it did tie for the...
news
Megadeals Mark Commercial Real Estate Market in H1
Buyers continue to show eagerness to snap up fancy offices, hotels and malls in Russia, and though commercial real estate investment won't reach last...
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Sistema Considers NVision Joint Venture
Business conglomerate Sistema might be forming a joint venture between its communications technology subsidiary, RTI, and an information-technology developer...
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Duma to Hear Internet Restriction Bill
Both web companies and human-rights activists are trying to liberalize a bill that could force websites, hosting companies and Internet providers to...
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There Will Be Many More Muscovites on Sunday
On July 1, Moscow will expand to become 2.5 times its current size, and hundreds of thousands of Moscow region residents will become residents of the...
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Malls to Add Space for 600 Retailers
Construction of two more gleaming shopping centers will begin in the next few months, with one of the malls to boast 7,000 parking spots, more than...
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Avilon Dropped by Daimler For Anti-Corruption 'Issues'
Daimler will sever ties with one of the country’s biggest dealerships for Mercedes-Benz cars because the German automaker has “issues” with the dealer’s...
news
IT Sector Holding Steady
The country's appetite for high-technology gadgets, software and services has been robust over the first half of this year.
news
City Land Agency Added to Bureaucracy
The mayor's office has created a new agency to inventory land, potentially giving developers an easier time of buying and building up plots in those...
news
Truck Traffic Could Be Further Restricted
The number of commercial trucks on Moscow's roads could be reduced dramatically if the city's Transportation Department wins approval for its plan...
news
Governor Shoigu Battling Man-Made Disasters
After facing down natural disasters for two decades as emergency situations minister, Sergei Shoigu is dealing with a man-made crisis in his new role...
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As 4G News Nears, Rostelecom, State Prepare
State-owned Rostelecom is making big plans for the mobile market in Moscow and other regions, while the government is weighing how much to bill the companies...
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Apartment Repair Costs Could Pass to Owners
The cost of replacing a leaking roof, installing new pipes and making other major repairs could be transferred from the municipal companies managing...
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Rally Defies Threat of Fines, Rain
Tens of thousands of people braved a thunderstorm and the threat of staggering fines Tuesday to march through the city in the first sanctioned protest...
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Agency Challenges Counterpart's Phone Proposal
The Federal Tariff Service is coming out swinging against a Federal Anti-Monopoly Service proposal to let landline service providers set their own rates...
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Anti-Corruption Gains Support, But Not Popularity
A legal and cultural framework for combating corruption is evolving, though components are still missing in Russia's transparency framework, anti-corruption...
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Shoigu Offers Help to Swindled Homebuyers
A case of alleged real estate fraud in the Moscow region heated up Monday as local authorities, including Moscow region Governor Sergei Shoigu, cracked...
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Newsmaker: Telecoms Minister Has Youth and Experience
Having served as the chief telecommunications policy expert in Tatarstan and now heading Russia’s Communications and Press Ministry, Nikolai Nikiforov...
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Land Sale by Defense Ministry Brings Court Case
A firm with ties to the Defense Ministry has landed in hot water over the sale of real estate in a prime neighborhood in the southern city of Samara, with...
news
Residents Band Together at Elite Village
At an elite gated community in the Moscow region called Angelovo, some residents believe that they are overcharged, some want to form a committee and three...
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Activists Score Victories in Preservation War, But More Battles Ahead
Giving with one hand and taking with the other, Moscow authorities have given historic preservationists both a court decision and a new restoration...
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Wave of the Future: MTS Turning Phones Into Credit Card
Mobile TeleSystems is rolling out a service that will let its customers make purchases and check bank balances with a wave of their phones.
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O1 Properties Pulls IPO, Blames Instability on World Bourses
Just three weeks after announcing its long-awaited initial public offering plans, O1 Properties, an owner of high-end office complexes in Moscow, is...
news
City Hall Ponders Privatizing Metro
City Hall is considering privatizing the Moscow metro system as a step toward developing the capital's infrastructure, the Moscow government said in a...
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Ministry Begins 4G Frequency Tender
The Communications and Press Ministry has opened a much-anticipated competition for 4G wireless frequencies, with winning telecoms operators to be...
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Avito.ru Gets $75M in Additional Funding
Buying and selling coats, car parts and pets through classifieds website Avito.ru could happen in more cities and regions now that the company has...
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Medvedev Wants to End 'Mobile Slavery'
Outgoing President Dmitry Medvedev wants to force mobile providers to let customers keep their cell-phone numbers while switching providers.
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Q1 Revenue Rises 45% at Mail.Ru
The increased popularity of Mail.Ru Group's online games, social networks, applications and advertising pushed up revenue 45 percent in the first quarter...
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Rostelecom Dials Up Broadband, TV
Rostelecom posted a 7 percent increase in revenue and a 47 percent increase in net income for 2011, ramping up television and Internet services as...
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Vekselberg Wants Medvedev in Skolkovo's Future
Perhaps tipping the government's hand for the evolution of the Skolkovo Innovation Center during the next Putin era that begins next month, the technology...