Year: 2008

RBC, 29.01.2008, Moscow 11:55:28.Foreign car sales surged 61 percent to 1.65m cars in Russia in 2007 compared to a year earlier, Russian Economy Minister Elvira Nabiullina said during the official signing of an agreement for the construction of a PSA Peugeot Citroen plant in Kaluga today. The Minister noted that total sales of both Russian and foreign cars (including those assembled in Russia) were expected to reach 4m in 2011. The ministry has already signed 23 agreements with car producers, and investments under these agreements total $5.2bn, Nabiullina stated, adding that total corporate investment in the automobile industry was projected to reach $6.5bn.

RBC, 29.01.2008, Moscow 11:41:59.Russia’s central Election Commission (CEC) has received an official notice from presidential candidate Dmitry Medvedev on his refusal to participate in televised debates prior to the upcoming election, CEC’s press office told RBC today. Meanwhile, another candidate Gennady Zyuganov has not yet filed a similar notice despite speculations on the matter in various media resources. Andrei Bogdanov is poised to participate in the debates…..(Click: read more for rest of the news!)

RBC, 29.01.2008, Moscow 10:41:05.About 30 minutes into this morning’s special dollar trading session for today deals, the low on deals stood at 24.30 RUB/USD, which is RUB 0.30, or 1.2 percent, lower than the official rate set by the Bank of Russia for January 29. The ruble’s noticeable advance against the dollar on the domestic market can be attributed to the euro’s considerable appreciation against the US currency on international exchanges. The euro is now trading at nearly USD 1.4760, up from around USD 1.4660 at the same time at the previous session. Consequently, the euro has gained almost 0.7 percent against the dollar on the global market since then.

RBC, 29.01.2008, Moscow 09:28:14.The owners of the Euroset group of companies do not intend to sell their stakes in the Russian mobile handset retailer and are not currently discussing any borrowings from the public market, the company’s Chairman of the Board of Directors Yevgeny Chichvarkin told journalists. Meanwhile, the group’s President Alexei Chuykin added that any reports of a possible sale of their stakes in Euroset by the current owners were pure rumors that had been circulating for a fairly long time. Chuykin asserted that the company’s business was under no threat whatsoever at the moment, and thus selling stakes in the company would have been senseless. This follows reports citing Euroset executives that the owners were in a position to transfer up to 25 percent in the group to a third-party investor either through a sale and purchase transaction or an IPO. While denying the feasibility of an IPO in the near term due to extreme instability on stock exchanges, Chichvarkin nevertheless did not rule out such a possibility completely in the foreseeable future.

RBC, 28.01.2008, Moscow 19:57:19.Tatneft’s balance-sheet profit increased 27 percent in 2007 from a year earlier, reaching RUB 64bn (approx. USD 2.62bn), the Tatarstan-based company said in a statement. Its sales revenue rose RUB 198bn (approx. USD 8.1bn), up 13.8 percent from 2006. According to earlier reports, the company’s RAS-based net profit grew 3.6 percent to some RUB 34.29bn (approx. USD 1.4bn) in the first nine months of 2007 compared to the same period in 2006.

RBC, 28.01.2008, Moscow 18:22:30.Inflation is expected to range between 5.8 percent and 7 percent in Russia in 2009, Andrei Klepach, head of the Russian Economy Ministry’s macroeconomic forecasting department, told journalists today. This is the revised estimate of social and economic development for 2009-2010, which was discussed during today’s meeting of Russia’s government commission for budget planning. Klepach noted that inflation was expected to reach 7.5-8.5 percent in 2008. Meanwhile, the ministry intends to cut inflation to 5-6 percent by 2010 by means of structural changes in the economy, anti-inflation measures, and stricter monetary policy . Klepach added that the forecast figure could change in the future, but the government was doing everything possible to curb inflation.

RBC, 28.01.2008, Moscow 17:45:14.Russian President Vladimir Putin has held a telephone conversation with his French counterpart Nicolas Sarkozy today, the Russian leader’s press office reported. The two Presidents discussed a number of current issues of bilateral cooperation, including affairs in which third countries were involved. Putin also wished Sarkozy a happy birthday.

RBC, 28.01.2008, Moscow 16:27:56.Chairman of Russia’s Central Election Commission Vladimir Churov signed invitations to international observers during a press conference today. Among the observers invited to monitor Russia’s presidential election were Churov’s colleagues from Italy, the UK, Mongolia, Poland, and other states, including 70 officials from the OSCE. The number of observers invited to the presidential election remains the same as it was during the last parliamentary election.

RBC, 28.01.2008, Nizhny Novgorod 11:41:59.GAZ Group’s consolidated revenue increased 30 percent to RUB 154bn (approx. USD 6.3bn) in 2007, the Russian automotive giant’s press office reported. Sales on international markets including the CIS grew 40 percent to roughly RUB 10bn (approx. USD 409m).
Commercial passenger car sales rose 9.8 percent to 210,409 cars. GAZ Group attributes the increase to higher retail sales and real disposable incomes, as well as the implementation of national projects in the area of utilities and agriculture. GAZ’s consolidated revenue from sales of commercial passenger cars increased over 22 percent to RUB 49bn (approx. USD 2bn) in 2007. Heavy truck sales grew 47 percent to 15,773 vehicles, while bus sales increased 7.8 percent to 22,344 vehicles, with revenue in this segment rising by almost a quarter to RUB 19.1bn (approx. USD 782m).

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The forum doesn’t have fixed membership structure, however Algeria, Bolivia, Brunei, Egypt, Equatorial Guinea, Indonesia, Iran, Libya, Malaysia, Nigeria, Oman, Qatar, Russia, Trinidad & Tobago, the UAE and Venezuela could be identified as current members. Turkmenistan, Bolivia, Indonesia, Libya and Oman have participated at different ministerial meetings. Norway has status of observer.

The charter of the new structure could be submitted at the forum’s seventh meeting in Moscow in June of 2008. Most of the charter that concerning membership, secretariat and financial provisions are almost a carbon-copy of OPEC’s charter.

GECF then could have more clout to control the gas market in the same way as OPEC does the oil market.

But experts do not believe that a gas OPEC will quickly become as influential as its oil counterpart, with opposition from the United States and the European Union.

The USA has vowed to fight against the GECF, because no one has invited them! 🙂

Kyle & Svet

comments always welcome.

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Hello,

My Wife was coming home from work & she came upon a Accordion Player in the Lubyanka Metro Station. She stopped and recorded this video!

Hope you enjoy the video, The Moscow Metro is full of interesting people & is a world all its own!

Kyle & Svet

comments always welcome.

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Hello,

The idea of this article came to me several days ago when I came at work and one of my colleagues played music on his computer. What it was – something good, what I knew before – but I could not recognize any words. Of course, that was not Russian or English words. I listened a little bit and realized – that was songs of Vladimir Vysotsky but his songs were translated on Hebrew!

Vysotsky wrote that there is a quatrain of Israel people are from here (Soviet Union). And people who came to Israel did not want to forget our culture. They kept “bard songs” and even translated the songs to Hebrew. I don’t know but after translation the song got something very special what take your heart and does not allow your heart back. That is at least my feeling about this translated songs. Maybe that’s my Jewish quarter, that talks to me about Eternity. Who knows…

Today is 25th of January: birthday of Vladimir Vysotsky. He would be 70 today, he died 27 years ago. He died but people still love his songs they translate and sing them on different languages (http://www.wysotsky.com/index.htm). Here is a link where you can get a lot of information about Vysotsky and his original songs: http://www.kulichki.com/vv/eng/.

More translations,
http://www.geocities.com/akbaramuhammad/word/

And here I’ll give you to listen my favorite song of him. This song is from his “Mountain circle”. And we will listen to the song in Hebrew!

You want to know what the song is about. Find a language what you know and follow the link. Don’t forget to listen to the original Vysotsky’s song – just click on the note’s sign at page with translation.

Горная лирическая

Български Лирична песен за алпийската стена Анна Колчакова 1990
български Надежда Асен Сираков 1987
български Планинска лирична Асен Сираков 1989
čeština NadějeJana Moravcová 1988
English A Day Akbar Ali Muhammad
English So there, the tremor left my hands… Andrey Kneller
English To a summit Natalie Golightly 2000
English To the top George Tokarev 2001
English Well, now, my hands don’t shake at all… Alec Vagapov 1999
français Vers les cimes
français Vers les cimes Sarah Struve
בריתאל הפסגהאלכסנדר בלפר
עבריתצמרמורתיונתן גפן1990
italiano È cessato il tremito delle mani Silvana Aversa 1992
Nederlands Naar de top Hans Sleurink 1997
norsk Mot toppen Jørn Simen Øverli 1989
polski I oto znikło drżenie rąk… Paweł Orkisz 2005
polski Na szczyt
polski Ustąpił dreszcz… Jan Słowiński
svenska Mot toppen Ola & Carsten Palmær 1986
lietuvių Pradingo drebulys Irena
Aršauskienė 2001
español De las montañas lírica Illya Gendler 2007

Svet & Kyle

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NATO has proposed a summit meeting between heads of state and government of the alliance member states and Russian President Vladimir Putin at the NATO Bucharest summit scheduled in April, the NATO spokesman said Wednesday.

“I can confirm that the (NATO) secretary general, in his capacity as chair of the NATO-Russia Council, has written to the Russian Federation, suggesting that we hold a NATO-Russia Council in Bucharest at the level of heads of state and government,” James Appathurai told reporters at a regular briefing.

“The letter is addressed to President Putin,” he said.

The spokesman said it is up to Putin to decide whether such a summit meeting will take place. He said the letter has been received by Moscow.

All the 26 NATO allies believe in added value in such a meeting, said the spokesman.

The NATO-Russia summit would be the first of its kind if it becomes reality in the end.

Source:Xinhua
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I was right, I thought that NATO had issues with Russia! I just posted an article about Russia / NATO issues. I turn around and then find this all over the internet!

Lets hope that Putin is in a good mood and will decide to have this meeting.

Seems NATO might be getting a little bit intimidated by a possible Angry Bear!

Kyle

comments always welcome!

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Russia concerned over NATO military buildup around its borders

23/01/2008 15:42 MOSCOW, January 23 (RIA Novosti) – Russia is concerned over NATO’s expansion, which is aimed at building up its military potential around Russian borders rather than strengthening European security, the foreign minister said on Wednesday.

Russia has been unnerved by NATO’s eastward expansion and recent U.S. plans to deploy missile defense elements in Poland and the Czech Republic.

“We are certain that the geographical expansion of NATO cannot be justified by security concerns,” Sergei Lavrov told a news conference in Moscow.

“But it is clear that NATO is building up its military potential around our borders and its new members continue to increase their defense budgets,” he said.

Lavrov said NATO’s “open-door” policy has been inherited from the Cold War and can only antagonize relations with Russia.

“This policy cannot resolve any security problems,” the minister said.

NATO has signaled its backing for the recent bids by Russia’s former Soviet allies, Georgia and Ukraine, to join the alliance, a move that has infuriated Moscow.

The Russian Foreign Ministry said on Tuesday that the country would have to take “appropriate measures” if Ukraine were to join NATO.

An additional problem overshadowing cooperation between Russia and NATO is the bloc’s refusal to ratify an updated version of the Soviet-era Conventional Forces in Europe Treaty (CFE), aimed at regulating the deployment of non-nuclear weapons on the continent.

Russia imposed in December last year a unilateral moratorium on the arms reductions treaty, which the West regards as a cornerstone of Euro-Atlantic security, and said it would resume its participation in the treaty only after NATO countries ratify the document.
==================================
Looks like NATO has it out for Russia! Not a very friendly way for NATO to do business with its members!

Could NATO be scared of the Russian Bear?

Kyle

comments always welcome.

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Hello,

It is not very often that I get beaten to the punch on something that I feel is important! Real Russian Project has posted an article on Russia and economic freedom!

(article)

I scrapped my article because I think that Yuri did a good job at getting the point across!

Thank you Yuri, for real insight.

Kyle
comments always welcome.

PS: This is the link, to the know it all: American Foundation!
http://www.heritage.org/index/

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(Click: Read More for Yuri’s article)========================================
Last week, the Heritage Foundation, one of the largest and perhaps most influential think tanks in Washington, D.C., published its annual global rankings of economic freedom. While think tank reports seldom have as much impact as their authors would like to believe, this particular document was published in partnership with The Wall Street Journal.

The report claimed that out of 150 countries surveyed in 2007, Russia is now ranked 134th in the world in terms of economic freedom, allegedly slipping fourteen spots from its lowly 120th ranking at the end of 2006. Russia was supposedly less free than all of the other countries in the former Soviet Union, with the exceptions of Belarus and Turkmenistan. Russia is also said to be lagging far behind such surging economic powerhouses as Pakistan and Cambodia.

Not just oil, gas, timber and metals anymore – Russia’s booming consumer sector has drawn the most interest from emerging market fund managers and investment banks in the past year.

The Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, where members of the 10,000 strong Saudi royal family find their way into every major deal, was ranked sixty spots ahead of Russia. This could lead a cynical Russian to ask whether the Heritage rankings are based on a country’s actual investment climate and success in global markets, or whether the country in question is a close ally of America. The point here is not to belittle the hard won economic gains that have been made by any particular country, but to challenge the premise that countries can be neatly graded on some imaginary freedom scale by think tank scholars sitting in Washington D.C.

In the same year that the Heritage Foundation claims that Russia backslid on democracy and economic freedom, global investors cast a vote of confidence in the country by pouring over $55 billion into the Russian economy. Many scholars and pundits can try to dismiss this record as a lucky break caused by high commodity prices and a glut of global liquidity, but one need not look very far to find some very large holes in this argument.

First, the biggest IPO recorded worldwide in 2007 was for Russia’s Vneshtorbank (VTB) – the second largest retail bank in the country – not for some Russian oil and gas or mining conglomerate. Second, in 2008 the largest Russian IPO will be for Unified Energy Systems, when the Russian government will be breaking up the state-owned monopoly and privatizing Russia’s electric power grid. Third, for anyone who actually flips past the Wall Street Journal’s editorial page to the business pages, the fastest rising Russian stocks in recent months have not been energy exporting giants such as Gazprom, Lukoil, and Rosneft, but consumer-oriented companies that are enjoying strong domestic growth like Golden Telecom, Rostelekom, and Wimm-Bill-Dann.

Fourth, many countries are receiving huge windfalls from oil and gas prices as well, but their economies remain basket cases – Venezuela, Nigeria and Iran come to mind – while others have failed to convert their enormous natural resources into any globally recognized brands or diversified companies. Just ask yourself – how many global emerging market equity funds hold Petreleos de Venezuela in their portfolios, as opposed to Gazprom? And how many car factories are Toyota, Nissan, and Ford building in Saudi Arabia, as compared with Russia? To ask each question is to already know the answer.

Granted, Russia is still not Switzerland by a long shot. As President Putin’s designated successor, Dimitri Medvedev, has repeatedly acknowledged, Russia has severe problems that threaten its long-term economic growth, including double digit inflation, a declining population outside major cities, and the age old bane of corruption. But the question remains: why do so many Western think tanks and scholars feel compelled to downplay or dismiss the real economic gains that Russians have achieved in the last eight years? Is it just opposition to the Putin government and its policies, or is there an ingrained anti-Russian bias in many American institutions, particularly among Washington’s leading conservative think tanks?

The Cold War has left behind many legacies, and one of them was a certain number of people and donors inside the Beltway who still proudly take credit for hastening the collapse of the Soviet Union in the 1980s. Unfortunately, when it comes to Russia, many of these same aging donors and think tankers have remained stuck on autopilot since 1992. They still view Moscow as the seat of an Evil Empire that must accept having NATO on its doorstep and being cut out of energy deals in its own back yard.

After 9/11, many inside-the-Beltway conservatives were prepared to accept President Bush’s vision of the America and Russia as allies in the war on international terrorism. But the well-financed “revolutions” in Ukraine and Georgia soon restored these die hard Russophobes to their previous default worldview. Rather than seeing these developments for what they actually were – the settling of accounts between rival clans of oligarchs and their political patrons in each country – each “revolution” was magnified into a zero sum struggle for power and influence between Moscow and Washington. Such simplistic attitudes naturally lead to a host of logical absurdities and ideological contradictions, with the only consistency being that Russia’s position must always be wrong.

For example, when Gazprom stopped subsidizing several former Soviet republics with cheap natural gas in 2005-2007 , Russia was condemned for allegedly using energy as a weapon to punish ex-Soviet republics for not towing Moscow’s line. Even Belarus, which The Wall Street Journal and The Economist had previously derided as an impoverished Kremlin puppet state, was instantly transformed, following its price dispute with Gazprom, into yet another victim of the Kremlin’s “energy imperialism”. The idea that Russia simply cannot afford to subsidize its neighbors anymore, or that former Soviet republics that claim to have adopted market economics ought to be charged at least half of what Western Europeans are paying for the same Russian gas never seems to have registered with these so-called “free marketeers”.

Naturally, all of this leads us to the question of motives and double standards. No less a Putin skeptic than Washington Post reporter Anne Applebaum, has asked how much influence money from deposed Russian oligarchs like Mikhail Khodorkovsky has bought in Washington. It remains far more politically acceptable for elite Washington conservatives to be wined in dined in Amman or Singapore than in Moscow. When the President of Georgia is an alumnus of Columbia University and mouths all the right buzzwords, American think tankers don’t ask why they are attending a democracy promotion conference in Tbilisi that costs $6,000 per person while the average Georgian makes $300 a month.

Ultimately, why should ordinary Americans care about any of this? What affect does it have on their lives, their jobs, or their investments? The answer, which we have all been reminded of in recent weeks, is that after decades of Americans investing in the rest of the world, the world is now investing in America. If Kuwaiti and Abu Dhabi-based sovereign wealth funds can buy major stakes in Merrill Lynch and Citigroup then the Kremlin’s $180 billion Stabilization Fund can invest in American companies and capital markets. Russian companies also want to swap assets with multinational oil companies in return for exploration and development contracts in Russia – which means Gazprom and Rosneft may be acquiring shares of oil refineries in Texas or Lousiana in the not too distant future.

Twenty five years ago, when many American protectionists were alarmed about government-backed Japanese firms allegedly buying up a “bankrupt” America, a Reaganite supply-sider named George Gilder wrote a book titled Wealth and Poverty, supporting free trade and arguing for American optimism. Gilder wrote that “capital goes where it is welcomed.” and argued that Americans should welcome international investment, regardless of whether it comes from foreign firms with government ties or not.

What was true in the 1980s holds even more true in today’s globalizing world. If American conservatives are confident that democracy and free trade will prevail over protectionism and authoritarianism, then they should believe that our marketplace will have a greater effect on Chinese, Arab or Russian investors and policies than their money will have on our markets. It would be a shame if a combination of Cold War nostalgia and ignorance were to cost the U.S. thousands of jobs, and prevent the formation of a lasting partnership between America and Russia.

The author of this article is a former intern at several Washington D.C. think tanks. The author currently works in the U.S. financial services industry. The views expressed here are his own.
=============================================

Hello,

I was drinking my morning cup of coffee & thinking about a comment that I received about Alexander Litvinko!

Rotus said.”Recall that this spat began because Russia refused to extradite Andrei Lugovoy to Britain for trial for the murder of Alexander Litvinenko.”

So I started to look up about: Who did kill Alexander Litvinenko?
http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2007/01/05/60minutes/
http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/17332541/
http://www.slate.com/id/2167972/entry/2167974/

http://www.nationmultimedia.com/2006/11/29/

http://www.russiablog.org/2006/11/who_poisoned_alex
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/uk_news/6180432.stm

The statements are all hearsay & accusations!
We all seem to know who did it, but yet we all can not prove it!
We have let media muddle and destroy the facts & allowed media to sway public opinion.

The bottom line is that no one knows!

Kyle & Svet

PS: Thanks Rotus for bringing that up, I find it interesting that the world has made up its mind on who killed Litvinenko! Reminds me of the old days; “Hang them first from the nearest tree, then ask questions later!”

Last But Not The Least Important Link: Russia’s Killing Game!(Click: Read More!)
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Alexander Litvinenko and Russia’s killing game

The death from radiation poisoning of Alexander Litvinenko has cast light on the Russian power struggle, writes Boris Kagarlitsky

After the murder of journalist Anna Politkovskaya in October, I predicted that there would be a follow up to this story. Unfortunately, I was right.

Alexander Litvinenko’s death has become headline news in Britain rather than in Russia. This is quite logical – the British people won’t just stand and watch a political exile living in England being dispatched.

Scotland Yard confirmed that Litvinenko, a former KGB officer who was granted British citizenship only a month ago, was poisoned. On Friday 24 November he died.

Litvinenko’s employer, or at least sponsor in London, is the opposition oligarch Boris Berezovsky. He hastened to name the main suspect – Russian president Vladimir Putin.

The assault on Litvinenko seems to be connected to the assassination of Anna Politkovskaya, which makes the plot even more twisted.

Investigators believe that the former KGB agent was poisoned in a Japanese restaurant where he met an Italian journalist who allegedly possessed data concerning the Politkovskaya case.

After being interrogated by British detectives, the journalist, fearful for his life, took cover in Italy.

The whole situation could serve perfectly as a plot for a political detective novel.

The rules of the genre dictate that the evidence will lead to the top of the power hierarchy.

The number of victims will grow as the investigation goes on, but in the long run no charge will be filed, though everything will be as clear as a day.

Litvinenko had accused the Kremlin and the Russian intelligence agencies of paving Putin’s way to power by blowing up residential houses in Moscow in 1999 and blaming Chechen rebels. Some of Litvinenko’s arguments were quite convincing, some not enough.

The case of the house explosions in Moscow will never be solved. The true story of the 11 September 2001 terrorist attack in the US or the murder of John Kennedy and many other high profile cases of the 20th century will also never be revealed.

As a rule in these events, the official version loses its credibility with time while alternative versions lack evidence. The authorities ostentatiously refuse to examine these versions, and thus deflate them.

Private investigations generate contradictory facts and speculations. But the verdict is delivered by public opinion, which is always set against the powers that be.

Raising the ghosts of the past would be the most disadvantageous tactics for the Russian administration. Litivinenko, residing in London, was not a thorn in the side of the Russian authorities.

His version of the story behind the explosions in Moscow is just one of a number, and not the most convincing. But when a former KGB agent becomes a murder victim, his accusations gain credibility and the whole affair moves to the front burner.

The Kremlin’s foes will not miss a chance to use the poisoning of Litvinenko as one more argument against the authorities. Moscow will again be seen by the West as a capital of the “Evil Empire”. What is to the Kremlin’s benefit in all that?

It is only in “first approximation” that the critics of the present regime seem to be the only victims of the current events. If we consider the situation in more detail, we find that the authorities are extremely vulnerable to such developments.

The blows hit those in power, leaving the opposition leaders safe and sound. As a result the opposition gets its martyrs and the authorities are challenged.

Some pro-Kremlin analysts have even suggested that Litvinenko’s poisoning and the journalist’s murder are provocations and that the opposition itself and Boris Berezovsky in person have organised the affairs in order to discredit the Kremlin’s ruling elite.

But it’s difficult to think of Berezovsky trying to kill his closest associate in London. However vicious he might be, he is not crazy.

The 1999 explosions in Moscow reflected the struggle for power within the ruling elite. The current murders and murder attempts have the same nature.

Neither Putin nor Berezovsky would contract such murders – for both of them the possibility of the backlash is higher than possible revenues.

I think there are other stakeholders at a lower level who pursue their own interests and use their own methods.

Intensification of the struggle for power is the result of their activity. The less stable the situation in the country is, the more there is ground for drastic changes in the political life of the country.

And undermining Russia’s position in the world will permit the political elites to retain control over the new president, who will be elected next year. They want to make him a hostage of those who have taken him to power.

Dirty and ineffective political tricks will make Putin’s successor dependent on forces behind the Kremlin’s throne.

The Big Game is on and it’s not the presidential post that is at stake. It is the leverage of control over whoever is in this post.

Boris Kagarlitsky is a director of the Institute for Globalisation Studies in Moscow.
===============================================

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MOSCOW (Reuters) – Russia on Tuesday sent two long-range bombers to the Bay of Biscay, off the French and Spanish Atlantic coasts, to test-fire missiles in what it billed as its biggest navy exercise in the area since Soviet times.

British and Norwegian Tornado and F-16 jets were escorting the Russian ‘Blackjack’ bombers, Interfax reported, quoting the Russian Air Force.

However, the French Defence Ministry spokesman said his country had been informed about the Russian exercises.

Firing missiles off the coastline of two members of the NATO military alliance is the latest in a series of Kremlin moves flexing Moscow’s military muscle on the world stage. =================================
RBC, 22.01.2008, Moscow 14:10:22.Revenue of Dixy Group, one of Russia’s top food retail chains, surged 42 percent to USD 1.431bn in 2007 compared to a year earlier, the company reported today. In ruble terms, revenue amounted to RUB 36.604bn (approx. USD 1.48bn), which is 33 percent greater than in 2006.

RBC, 22.01.2008, Moscow 13:32:51.As a result of geological survey, Gazprom has been able to report a rise in gas reserves totaling 585bn cubic meteres in 2007, which is 7bn cubic meters greater than the estimate, the Russian energy giant’s press office stated today. Natural gas production (excluding that of Gazprom’s subsidiaries) amounted to 548.5bn cubic meters.

RBC, 21.01.2008, Moscow 16:51:14.Russia is not willing to exert pressure on Poland or other countries regarding the deployment of the US anti-missile defence system in Eastern Europe, Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov told journalists following a meeting with his Polish counterpart Radoslaw Sikorski. Russia only wanted Poland to consider all risks and threats to both its own and European security before making a final decision, Lavrov said. He added that Sikorski had confirmed that this was Poland’s intention as well. In turn, the Polish Minister noted that only the US and Poland would decide on the issue and that Russia would also benefit from the deployment of the shield, as it was designed to intercept ballistic missiles.

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