Metro Director Gayev Leaves

By Roland Oliphant

Moscow metro chief Dmitry Gayev became the latest Luzhkov-era official to fall on his sword Monday as Mayor Sergei Sobyanin seeks to remedy a growing fraud scandal and install his own team in key municipal posts.

Gayev, who had headed the Moscow metro since 1995, was relieved of his duties “at his own request,” a curtly worded statement posted on the City Hall web site said Monday.

Grocery Chains Grow as Recovery Sets In

By Khristina Narizhnaya

At the end of 2010, there were 7,439 big retail
chain outlets countrywide.

The supermarket was all abuzz, with long lines at the checkout counter and more shoppers filing in — a normal scene in an emerging market — but it was after 11 p.m.

"We need more big, quality supermarkets," said Oleg Silchenko, 29, who shops at Karousel, a hypermarket chain owned by the X5 Retail Group, near his home in northwestern Moscow. He usually has to wait in a long line, especially in supermarkets with good prices and selection.

As the country emerges from the recession, the dynamic energy of the food retail business can be felt around the clock, as more and more outlets open, while food prices continue to rise.

On top of that, Russians spend roughly 30 percent of their disposable income on food because of low wages and standard of living as well as the instability of the ruble, said Maxim Klyagin, an analyst with the investment holding Finam. Americans spend less than 10 percent.

With a total turnover in 2010 of 7.1 trillion rubles ($239 billion), the retail food market is growing at 13 percent — more than twice the rate of the economy as a whole — and leading retailers are seeing growth of 30 to 40 percent.

Liberal Party Mulls Registration

By Nikolaus von Twickel

Opposition leader Nemtsov speaking at a Saturday event to form a local branch of the Party of People’s Freedom.

Liberal leaders have pledged to get a new party registered as the country prepares for the State Duma and presidential elections, but skeptics doubt if the apparently futile effort is worth it.

Leaders of the Party of People’s Freedom were adamant Monday that even if chances were slim, it was vital to file for registration to establish political credibility.

Telecoms Band Together to Sponsor Online 'Cybermilitia'

By Natalya Krainova

The League for Safe Internet is formed by Mobile TeleSystems, VimpelCom, MegaFon and Rostelecom. The companies want to fulfill their "social responsibility," Malofeyev, who also sits on Rostelecom's board, said by telephone.

Four telecom giants have banded together with the government's support to sponsor a "cybermilitia" seeking to combat child pornography and promotion of extremism, violence and drugs.

Mascots Audition for Olympics

By Anatoly Medetsky

Four athletic matryoshkas are among the contenders vying for mascot.

The potential mascots for the 2014 Winter Olympics in Sochi premiered on the air Monday night in the first public presentation of the images after months of collecting ideas and design work.

Shuvalov Nominated for Exhibition Center Board

By Irina Filatova

The All-Russia Exhibition Center is slated
for a $4 billion reconstruction.

First Deputy Prime Minister Igor Shuvalov could join the board of directors of the All-Russia Exhibition Center — the Soviet era complex formerly known as VDNKh — to oversee its 120 billion ruble ($4 billion) reconstruction, officials said Monday.

The exhibition center's board of directors will be re-elected at the annual shareholders meeting scheduled for June, said Vladimir Kuleshov, a spokesman for the All-Russia Exhibition Center.

"There is a list of candidates to be tapped for the new board. Apparently, a new chairman of the board will also be elected at the meeting," Kuleshov said, declining to reveal other names in the list.

Shuvalov's spokesman confirmed to The Moscow Times that the first deputy prime minister had been nominated, but didn't elaborate. It's unclear whether Shuvalov will become chairman.

The board of directors of the All-Russia Exhibition Center, whose roster changes every year, is currently chaired by Yury Medvedev, deputy head of the Federal Property Management Agency.

Navalny's Suit Vs. Transneft Goes to Court

By Olga Razumovskaya

Whistleblower Navalny, who is also a minority shareholder at the state-owned monopoly pipeline operator, filed the suit in late December, the Russian Agency of Legal and Court Information reported Monday.

Police, Locals Hunt for Hammer-Wielding Thief

By Alexander Bratersky

Since Jan. 21, five women aged 40 to 60 were attacked at night in the area, known for its sprawling Losiny Ostrov park. All were hospitalized, and one of the victims, Margarita Shuina, died from her injuries.

ID, Purpose Needed to Enter Airport Premises

The Moscow Times

No identification was previously required to enter an airport, and visitors only checked randomly at the doors — a policy that allowed a suicide bomber to make it to the international arrivals hall of Domodedovo Airport and blow himself up last month, killing 36.

Foreigners Considered for Yukos Review

Reuters

Khodorkovsky, in jail since 2003, was sentenced in December to six more years behind bars after what his supporters said was a politically motivated theft and money-laundering trial. The United States has sharply criticized the decision.

Hacker Admits Guilt in $10M Theft

Reuters

Investigators said 27-year-old Yevgeny Anikin was a member of an international hacking ring that copied client account information and boosted the daily maximum withdrawal limit before taking cash out of bank machines across Europe, Asia and the United States.