In this issue:

- Advertising

* Travel with The Moscow Times

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* Tax strategies in Russia

The Moscow Times invites you to take part in the annual conference devoted to tax strategies in Russia, which will be held on May 27 in Moscow. Top tax experts from the leading Russian and international law firms such as Salans, FBK-Pravo, Pepeliaev Group will share their experience and vision.

- News

* Medvedev Orders Probe After 2nd Jail Death

By Alexandra Odynova

Real estate executive Vera Trifonova, 54, died Friday in the same prison hospital where Hermitage Capital lawyer Sergei Magnitsky died in November, and her lawyer said he would sue the investigator and judge who kept her in custody.

* Blue Bucket Protests Draw Duma’s Attention

By Alexander Bratersky

Muscovites have been attaching blue buckets to the hoods of their cars in recent weeks to mock the flashing blue lights, known as migalki, that allow senior bureaucrats to disregard the rules of the road.

* Sutyagin, Sentenced on Espionage Charges, Denied Parole

By Natalya Krainova

An Arkhangelsk regional court has rejected a parole appeal from Igor Sutyagin, a military analyst who was sentenced to 15 years in prison for espionage in 2000, saying he "has not mended his ways."

* Kadyrov, Putin Called ’Predators’ of Media

By Nikolaus von Twickel

Reporters Without Borders said Chechen President Ramzan Kadyrov was linked to the murders of two outspoken critics of Moscow’s handling of the conflict in Chechnya and accused Prime Minister Vladimir Putin of being responsible for increased state control over the country’s media.

* Kadyrov Aide Denies Ordering Killings

The Moscow Times

An adviser to Chechen Republic President Ramzan Kadyrov has denied allegations that he organized the killings of two of Kadyrov’s enemies last year.

* Blast at Nalchik Racetrack Kills One

Combined Reports

A homemade bomb exploded Saturday at a racetrack in Nalchik, the capital of southern region Kabardino-Balkaria, while a man was shot dead by policemen after opening fire at a sports complex in the neighboring republic of Ingushetia.

* Opposition Likens Putin to Stalin at May Day Rally

Reuters

Hundreds of opposition activists rallied during May Day festivities, shouting slogans comparing Prime Minister Vladimir Putin to Soviet dictator Josef Stalin and waving placards demanding fair elections.

* Trial Set for U.S. Parents in Death of Russian Boy

Reuters

Michael and Nanette Craver were charged with criminal homicide and child endangerment after their 7-year-old son, Nathaniel, died in August 2009 from multiple injuries and in an emaciated state.

- Business

* Putin Floats Merger of Gazprom, Ukraine’s Naftogaz

By Anatoly Medetsky

In a proposal that seemed to take his Ukrainian counterpart by surprise, Prime Minister Vladimir Putin suggested merging Gazprom with Ukraine’s national energy company, Naftogaz Ukrainy. If it materializes, the merger would give Russia a say in running Ukraine’s pipelines, which are essential for gas transit to Europe.

* Short-Term Real Estate Market May Grow, Report Says

By Irina Filatova

Moscow may see a boom in the temporary apartments segment over the next two to three years, with the largest fraction being sold in the premium property market, a consulting company said.

* U.S. Faults Russia for Weak Protection of Intellectual Property

By Maria Antonova

The U.S. Trade Representative Office report placed Russia on a "priority watch list" of 11 countries that "do not provide an adequate level" of intellectual property protection.

* Oil Output Remains World’s Highest

Reuters

Energy Ministry official data showed on Sunday that April oil output stood at 10.11 million barrels per day, the second best result ever and down only slightly from a record-high of 10.12 million bpd in March.

* Novolipetsk’s Lisin Says Russia Over-Regulates

Reuters

Vladimir Lisin of Novolipetsk Steel, which consistently has been one of the sector’s most profitable companies, said "stimulating production growth" is Russia’s biggest economic hurdle.

* Evenkia Dam Project Postponed

The Moscow Times

RusHydro will not decide on whether to build a dam in Evenkia this year, the company said Friday, after the project was lambasted at public hearings in Krasnoyarsk.

* Courts Say Permits Not Connected to Property Rights

Vedomosti

The Supreme Arbitration Court and the Supreme Court said the absence of an official permit for a building does not give courts grounds to deny property rights in lawsuits.

* Strikeforce Mining Seeks to Raise $150M to $200M in Hong Kong IPO Reuters

SMR, which kicked off pre-marketing on Monday, is owned by billionaire Oleg Deripaska’s En+ Group Ltd. and is the biggest ferromolybdenum producer in Russia.

* Lower LSR Share Price

Combined Reports

LSR Group fell to the weakest level in a month after selling shares at the bottom of a price range that was lowered earlier this week.

* Foreign Borrowing May Shrink by $13Bln, Domestic Debt Offer May Rise

Bloomberg

The government may decrease foreign borrowing plans by $13 billion this year and increase domestic debt sales by the same amount, though figures are still preliminary.

* RusAl Unit Eyes $1Bln Bond Issue

Combined Reports

“The purpose of the issue will be refinancing the current debt of the company and its subsidiaries, decreasing debt service costs and improving the debt profile,” RusAl said.

* SMR Mulls Hong Kong IPO

Bloomberg

SMR, a producer of copper and molybdenum metals controlled by Oleg Deripaska, has started gauging demand for a Hong Kong initial public offering that may raise as much as $200 million, said a person familiar with the plan.

* Ruble Continues Climbing

Bloomberg

The fourth monthly increase is the longest stretch of gains since a rally ended in August 2006.

* Glavmosstroi Bankruptcy Suit Shelved

Vedomosti

The Moscow Arbitration Court shelved a suit by Infosphere Ltd. to push Oleg Deripaska’s Glavmosstroi into bankruptcy.

* Uralkali Seeks Potash Sales Revival After 2009 Drop-Off

Reuters

Denis Morozov, Uralkali’s president, said 2009 was "one of the most challenging" years in the history of the industry for the soil nutrient.

* RenCap Gets Specific on Africa Expansion Plans

Bloomberg

Renaissance Capital may make acquisitions in Egypt, Tanzania and Uganda as it seeks to expand in Africa, deputy chief executive officer Andrew Cornthwaite said Monday.

* UralChem Delays IPO

Bloomberg

UralChem Holding, Russia’s second-largest maker of nitrogen-based fertilizer, said it has postponed its planned initial public offering intended to raise as much as $642 million.

- News in brief:

* VTB Doubles Polyus Stake

* Nestle Accused of Violations

* Tatneft Profit Jumps Sixfold

* RusHydro to Buy Abroad

* Troika Faces $17,200 Fine

* Kuzbass IPO Raises $163M

*For the Record

- Opinion

* Turning the Loan Spigot On

By Kim Iskyan

If Russian banks banks don’t start lending soon, the economy may continue to struggle to grow. But what should role should the government have in lending policy?

* Not Much Victory on Victory Day

By Alexei Bayer

Russia didn’t lose World War II, but it didn’t win it, either. What was “the Greatest Generation” in the United States was a ravaged and purged group in the U.S.S.R.

* Lukashenko in a Sweat About Bakiyev’s Ouster

By Vladimir Frolov

With its presidential election scheduled for 2011 and its leader Alexander Lukashenko’s increasingly hostile stance toward Moscow, Belarus is emerging as the next crucial battleground for the Kremlin’s new strategy in the former Soviet republics.

- Arts & Ideas

Zeffirelli: Culture, No Democracy

By Svetlana Osadchuk

In the U.S.S.R., Franco Zeffirelli did not see the state entangled in an ideology he hated, but the country that was the heir of Chekhov’s dramas, Tolstoy’s prose, Glinka’s music.

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