POLITICS
Mikhail Prokhorov, the billionaire and failed State Duma hopeful, said that he would attempt a political comeback by running against Vladimir Putin for president next year. Former Finance Minister Alexei Kudrin said he is ready to take part in the creation of a liberal political party and has consulted ousted Right Cause leader Mikhail Prokhorov on the issue
(The Moscow Times, Kommersant, Nezavisimaya Gazeta, Rossiiskaya Gazeta, Moskovskie Novosti, Vedomosti, Izvestia)
Two days after a record protest rally in Moscow, the ruling United Russia party staged its own demonstration in the capital but insisted that it was not a reaction to the opposition’s event.
(The Moscow Times, Kommersant, Nezavisimaya Gazeta, Rossiiskaya Gazeta, Moskovskie Novosti, Izvestia)
The first governor resigned after his region showed poor support for the pro-Kremlin United Russia party in the State Duma elections. Vyacheslav Pozgalyov, the head of the Vologda Region where only some 30% supported United Russia, submitted his resignation on Monday
(The Moscow Time, Kommersant, Nezavisimaya Gazeta, Rossiiskaya Gazeta, Moskovskie Novosti, Vedomosti, Izvestia)
The European Union is also expected to agree to visa-free travel between Kaliningrad and its EU neighbors and is taking steps toward offering this to the rest of Russia, diplomats said
(The Moscow Times, Kommersant, Nezavisimaya Gazeta)
Moscow City Hall received a notification from organizers of Saturday’s protest against election results about another rally on December 24, with the estimated number of participants of 50,000 people. Organizers request the Vasilievsky Slope and Manezhnaya Square in the vicinity of the Red Square as possible venues
(Kommersant, Izvestia)
The acting president of the unrecognized Moldovan republic of Transdnestr demanded the cancelation of presidential vote results, which are yet to be announced
(Kommersant, Nezavisimaya Gazeta, Rossiiskaya Gazeta, Moskovskie Novosti, Vedomosti)
ECONOMY
Russia should improve its business climate and further modernize its economy to the standards of the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development, as a number of problems still hamper the country's accession to the group, which Russia hopes will take place in 2013
(The Moscow Times, Kommersant, Moskovskie Novosti, Vedomosti)
METALS & MINING
Russia may export more scrap for steelmaking to Europe after it joins the World Trade Organization this month, resulting in a shortage at home, Morgan Stanley and Novolipetsk Steel said
(The Moscow Times)
OIL & GAS
Moscow and Kiev are again in discussions about setting up a joint venture in the gas sector. However, Kiev failed to negotiate a cheaper price for Russian gas so far
(Kommersant, Nezavisimaya Gazeta, Moskovskie Novosti, Vedomosti)
For the first time ever, Russian energy giant Gazprom has made it into the top ten global oil and gas industry leaders, according to the Energy Intelligence International agency
(Moskovskie Novosti)
POWER GENERATION
Russian Prime Minister Vladimir Putin visited the Kalininskaya Nuclear Power Plant in the central Russian Tver Region, which is the closest plant to the Russian capital, and attended an opening ceremony for its fourth power unit
(Kommersant, Nezavisimaya Gazeta, Rossiiskaya Gazeta, Izvestia)
The Russian Investigative Committee said it completed its investigation into the Sayano-Shushenskaya dam accident, which killed 75 people and caused than $1 billion worth of damage. The investigation blamed employees and management of the hydroelectric power plant for the deadly accident but the power plant’s owner RusHydro said construction and maintenance faults were to blame
(Kommersant)
STOCK MARKETS
Moscow's bourses continued last week's slide, reaching their lowest levels since October after relief that the weekend's popular protests against the State Duma election results did not end in violence
(The Moscow Times)
DEFENCE
Tehran said it would copy the U.S. unmanned aerial vehicle intercepted in the east of the country
(Nezavisimaya Gazeta)
SOCIETY
In the last year, the average speed of automobile traffic in Moscow has declined by between 4 and 15 percent depending on the area, experts determined in a study of transportation in the city conducted for Kommersant by Echelon Geolife
(The Moscow Times)
Even though $300 million has been pledged by investors, the design has been completed and a construction firm selected, the construction of what could be the world's largest big wheel is stalled by the absence of approval from City Hall
(The Moscow Times)
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