POLITICS
A project to modernize Russian electoral monitoring equipment, initiated by Dmitry Medvedev during his presidency, may face budget cuts of about 11 billion rubles.
(Kommersant, Vedomosti)
Federation Council Speaker Valentina Matviyenko proposed resuming the merger of Russian regions, saying that 83 federal administrative entities was “too many.”
(Kommersant)
Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov completed his African tour on Wednesday, visiting four countries in three days.
(Kommersant)
Communist Party lawmaker Konstantin Shirshov was stripped of his State Duma mandate.
(Kommersant, Rossiiskaya Gazeta)
ECONOMY
Global Financial Integrity (GFI) said the illegal capital outflow in Russia since 1994 stood at $211 billion, while illegal capital inflow amounted to $342 billion over the past 18 years.
(Kommersant, Vedomosti)
Goldman Sachs estimates the potential growth of Russian economy at 5.3 percent a year, citing poor state management as the main obstacle to growth.
(Vedomosti)
METALS & MINING
An investigation into the deadliest mine accident in modern Russia, the 2007 methane blast at the Ulyanovskaya coalmine which claimed the lives of 110 people, has been completed.
(Kommersant, Vedomosti, Rossiiskaya Gazeta)
OIL & GAS
US oil giant ExxonMobil signed an agreement with Rosneft to develop seven sites on the Russian shelf in addition to four it already has, becoming the largest foreign investor in Russian shelf projects
(Kommersant, Vedomosti)
Novatek's bid to become an independent liquefied natural gas (LNG) exporter received support from Igor Sechin, the CEO of state-controlled Russian oil company Rosneft. Russian President Vladimir Putin also signaled his possible approval.
(Kommersant, Vedomosti)
DEFENSE
China surprisingly became the third largest buyer of Russian weapons and military equipment from Rosoboronexport last year.
(Vedomosti)
Russia and Norway seem to be intensifying their military contacts as Russian Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu met his Norwegian counterpart Anne-Grete Strom-Erichsen on Wednesday.
(Rossiiskaya Gazeta)
SOCIETY
Russia's former agriculture minister Yelena Skrynnik was questioned in connection with the Rosagroleasing embezzlement case.
(Kommersant, Rossiiskaya Gazeta)
In an interview with Kommersant, Moscow mayor Sergei Sobyanin said that Muscovites should be allowed to choose their mayor.
(Kommersant)
SPORT
The International Olympic Committee dropped wrestling, which has been included into every Summer Olympics since 1896, as a Summer Games sport.
(Moskovskie Novosti)
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