Anarchy In Ukraine

VANO-FRANKIVSK, Ukraine -- Neo-Nazi paramilitaries are secretly training football hooligans to wreak havoc during Ukraine’s Euro 2012 match against England. An undercover Sun team filmed members of extreme right-wing militia The Patriot of Ukraine as it drilled thugs in unarmed combat, knife fighting and use of rifles and pistols at a secret camp. One yob boasted how they planned to riot and hurl racist abuse at black England stars such as Rio Ferdinand and Ashley Cole. He told us: “Of course we will boo your black players. There will be fighting too. Why should we apologise for it?” The Sun team infiltrated the Patriots’ training camp by posing as British sympathisers keen to make closer ties and learn from their methods. The group’s leaders said the hooligans were seen as “foot soldiers” who would proclaim their vile message of racial hatred to the world during Euro 2012. All three of England’s group matches are in the Ukraine — which is jointly hosting the tournament with Poland. The Patriots, whose 3,500 members run illegal military training camps, teach the thugs fighting skills and offer “education” in their ideology. In return the hooligans agree to chant white supremacist slogans from the stands and swell the Patriots’ ranks at anti-immigration rallies on the streets. The Patriots’ liaison chief Dmytro Semchuk said: “We have a network of football hooligans in every town that we can call on. We can start a war just by one call. In Ukraine the hooliganism is mixed with the politics of patriotism and nationalism. “We recruit from the terraces and we use football hooligans to spread our message. “We share the same beliefs. The hooligans here are not like English ones who drink all the time. Here we prepare with training. We take it seriously and we are fit. “The Patriots help with education and physical training. We are the brains — the hooligans are the foot soldiers." “We don’t want to see black players in European teams. We want to change that. The aim is to one day take the country back for the white Ukrainian people.” The Sun’s team was shown football hooligans in combat gear training alongside paramilitaries in Ivano-Frankivsk in western Ukraine. The recruits were drilled amid the ruined buildings and weed-covered parade grounds of an abandoned Soviet military base. The training included storming buildings while armed with some grenades and guns. Our team also witnessed football yobs tackling a military assault course — crawling under burning barbed wire, scaling log walls and scrambling through water-filled trenches. Patriots “General” Serhiy Syvachuk, 26, barked orders as the yobs learned knife-fighting techniques and were given live weapons training with a pistol and sniper rifle. He said the group was fighting for a “white Europe led by a white leader” as our team filmed what the Patriots believed was a propaganda video. Syvachuk said: “We are uniting young people whose thoughts are nationalistic to get them ready to defend our country and our beliefs. We are trying to cooperate with the hooligans to create a larger movement, to protest against immigration and to train them to make Ukrainian nationalism bigger, louder and more massive. “The hooligans train their bodies by fighting with other teams. But we are able to give them physical training and training in beliefs." “We are also trying to educate them to widen their nationalism beyond football. It is a way of getting out beliefs on to the street. Euro 2012 can send our message around the world.” Syvachuk insisted it was right to boo black players because they should not be playing for European teams. He said: “They are not from European nations — they are from other nations. This is a European football festival. Ukrainian players want to meet with other European players, not players from Africa." “If there are black players playing for Ukraine and England it will not be Ukraine against England — it will be Ukraine against England and other countries.” Exam board worker Nazar Maksymiv, 20, was among those training in the forest camp. The balaclava-wearing thug said he followed Ukraine’s football team around the world — and gleefully recalled fighting England supporters in the past. Maksymiv said he would be there when England meet Ukraine in Donetsk on June 19. He is eagerly anticipating more trouble in the city, which is one of The Patriots’ heartlands. Maksymiv, from a hooligan group called The Berserkers, said: “I am looking forward to fighting the English fans again. “The police will try to stop it but I don’t think they will. “The football authorities are kidding themselves if they do not think there will be violence or that Ukraine fans will not boo." “We are not apologising for it — we don’t want to see black players in European teams.” Maksymiv said he was confident of getting into the England match despite not having a ticket because Ukrainian stadium security is poor. Also among those training was 17-year-old psychology student called Vlad, who had a grim warning for England’s travelling footie fans. He said: “Supporters who come here should be prepared for violence. England’s black players will be booed because we want our voice heard.” Racism is endemic in Ukrainian football - but ignored by police. Nazi regalia, such as the infamous Death’s Head symbol of Hitler’s SS, are regularly displayed during matches. UEFA fined Ukrainian Premier League team Karpaty Lviv in 2010 after supporters waved a neo-Nazi banner during a Europa League match against Turkish side Galatasaray.

Tymoshenko Court Hearing Postponed In Ukraine

KIEV, Ukraine -- A Ukrainian court on Saturday postponed a hearing in the second criminal case against the jailed former prime minister and opposition leader Yulia Tymoshenko, whose treatment in prison has raised concerns in Europe. She was due in court in the eastern city of Kharkiv, but the judge agreed to postpone the hearing due to the poor state of her health. The next hearing was set for May 21. Tymoshenko is on a hunger strike to protest alleged abuse in a Kharkiv prison. She claims that guards punched her in the stomach and twisted her arms and legs while forcibly taking her to a hospital to be treated for debilitating back pain. She is serving a seven-year prison sentence on charges of abusing her powers as prime minister in negotiating an energy deal with Russia. The West has strongly condemned the case as politically motivated and threatened to freeze cooperation with Ukraine. In the second case, she is charged with evading taxes while heading an energy company in the 1990s. German Foreign Minister Guido Westerwelle said he was "shocked by the reports about the abuse" suffered by Tymoshenko and shared her family and friends' concerns for her health. "She is refused appropriate treatment against all legal and moral duties," he was quoted as saying in the Sunday paper Frankfurter Allgemeine Sonntagszeitung. Germany has been leading the European Union's critical stance on Ukraine over the Tymoshenko case. The government in Berlin is offering to treat her in Germany, but Kiev has rejected the offer. Tymoshenko refuses to be treated in Ukraine, saying she does not trust the medical system. Tymoshenko denies the abuse of power charges, saying they are part of a campaign by President Viktor Yanukovych, her longtime foe, to bar her from politics. Yanukovych has denied involvement in the case.

Bombs Add To Soccer Festival Woes

The decision to invite Ukraine to co-host Europe’s most important soccer tournament this year was a controversial one — and that was before four bomb explosions rocked the country’s third largest city on Friday. As my colleague Michael Schwirtz reports, the government and the opposition have each suggested the other had most to gain from what officials described as a coordinated terrorist attack. It was the latest crisis to overshadow the four-yearly European soccer event that kicks off on June 8 in Warsaw, Poland, which is jointly hosting this year’s 31-match tournament with its eastern neighbor. The industrial city of Dnipropetrovsk, the target of yesterday’s bombings in which 27 people were wounded, was long ago dropped as a venue for the Euro 2012 tournament. But new fears about security in the country as a whole can now be added to a list of concerns about Ukraine’s suitability to host a competition that involves national teams from 16 European nations. Michel Platini, the Union of European Football Associations (UEFA) president, complained this month that “bandits and crooks” had pushed up prices ahead of the three-week tournament. The former mid-fielder for France’s national team advised foreign fans to not bother coming unless the country cleaned up its act. That followed lurid reports that thousands of prostitutes planned to cash in on male visitors to Ukraine, which has a dubious reputation as a hub of Europe’s illicit sex trade. The authorities are so sensitive to the issue that they formally protested this week over a jokey Dutch TV ad that suggested wives and girlfriends should keep their men at home during Euro 2012. Back in 2010, UEFA took legal action in response to an accusation that some members of its executive committee received cash for awarding the tournament to Ukraine and Poland. An investigation found no evidence to support the allegation. Michael Schwirtz and Nicholas Kulish noted in December that Ukraine had been battered by the world economic crisis since UEFA, soccer’s ruling body in Europe, decided in 2007 to name it as co-host. That has put pressure on Ukraine’s plans to improve its infrastructure. They also pointed out that the former Soviet state was “mired in an intractable political conflict that can freeze government activity for months at a time.” The political heat has risen since then. Yulia V. Tymoshenko, braided heroine of Ukraine’s 2004 Orange Revolution, is on hunger strike in jail where she is serving a seven-year sentence for abuse of authority during her term as prime minister. Her family says she has been beaten in prison and fears she will be force-fed. The treatment of Ms. Tymoshenko at the hands of her political rivals and successors has been denounced outside Ukraine. Viviane Reding, the European commissioner for justice and fundamental rights, this week wrote to Mr. Platini to decline his invitation to the opening ceremony of Euro 2012. Ms. Reding said she could not close her eyes to human rights, even on the occasion of a great sporting festival. That coincided with a statement on behalf of Joachim Gauck, Germany’s president, that he was canceling a planned trip to Ukraine because of the treatment of Ms. Tymoshenko. UEFA is in a bind. When it selected Ukraine back in 2007, Ms. Tymoshenko was just about to take office as prime minister. Mr. Platini has since said European soccer’s governing body could not rule out countries such as Ukraine just because they were not quite as democratic as the rest of Europe. With just six weeks to go, the soccer authorities are probably stuck with their decision. At one point, Scotland offered to step in as an alternative venue, but it is almost certainly too late for that. UEFA, which said on Friday that the bombings had not dented its confidence in the security measures Ukraine had put in place, reports that fans have snapped up 95 per cent of available tickets for Euro 2012. They probably do not include many pet-owners. Animal-lovers were appalled by reports that Ukrainians had slaughtered thousands of stray dogs and cats in a bid to tidy up the streets ahead of the tournament.

Ukraine Probes Blasts Ahead Of Euro 2012

KIEV, Ukraine -- President Viktor Yanukovych on Saturday visited Ukraine's industrial heartland after a wave of blasts injured dozens of people ahead of the Euro 2012 football tournament. The unclaimed attack came after tensions over the fate of jailed opposition leader drew calls from some European leaders to strip the ex-Soviet nation of the prestigious event ahead of the June 8 kickoff. Yanukovych, taking personal charge of the blasts probe, held a closed security meeting at the scene and announced a two-million-hryvnia ($250,000, 190,000 euros) reward "for information that will help solve the crime." "We must do all we can to find the criminals and establish the motives of the crime and its aim," he said at the start of the meeting, adding that investigators from neighbouring countries were also taking part. He visited victims in several hospitals, meeting patients including a 16-year-old girl who suffered most in the blasts, his office said, adding that doctors operated on her and managed to save her sight. "Our main task today is to prevent such a thing happening again," Yanukovych said, warning that "it's possible that we are talking about an attempt to destabilise the situation in the country." On Saturday, 22 victims remained in hospital, with four in a serious condition, the health ministry said, putting the total number of injured at 30 as opposed to the 26 reported by the emergencies ministry. One male victim had to have an arm amputated, a spokeswoman for the city's health department told the Interfax news agency. The rare attacks have shocked Ukraine, which has witnessed no major acts of terror in its modern history and where political violence is rare. "A terrorist attack in Dnipropetrovsk: who needs this?" the mass-circulated Komsomolskaya Pravda daily asked. "A tram stop blew up into the air, and passersby bandaged the wounded," wrote the Segodnya daily. "There was panic in Dnipropetrovsk and people were weeping on the streets." The attacks came as the nation puts the finishing touches on its preparations for Euro 2012, an event it is co-hosting with Poland and is hoping to use to showcase the strides it has made since the Soviet era. Although Dnipropetrovsk is not a host city in the country's first major international sports event, it lies on the route of a tour the trophy will be taken on, visiting the city of one million on May 21. Europe's football governing body UEFA has said it is confident Ukraine will be able to ensure security, although Donald Tusk, prime minister of co-host Poland, said: "This issue needs to be treated with the utmost seriousness." The head of the Football Federation of Ukraine Grigory Surkis told AFP he believed the blasts aimed "to torpedo the tournament in Ukraine at all costs and compromise our country in the eyes of the international community." Some suspect a political motive since Dnipropetrovsk is the home town of Yanukovych's arch-foe, the 2004 Orange Revolution leader Tymoshenko, who is serving a disputed jail term that has strained Kiev's ties with the European Union. The blasts rang out on the same day that she publicised photographs of bruises and scratches she says were caused by prison guards forcibly hospitalising her at a local clinic against her will. She has now been on hunger strike for more than a week and has appealed to be allowed to have treatment abroad for chronic back pain. Tymoshenko now faces fresh tax charges that could increase her sentence to 12 years. At the latest hearing on Saturday, which she did not attend, the court ruled that she could not be tried in absentia and adjourned the case until May 21.

Ukraine's Euro 2012 Dreams Turning Dark

KIEV, Ukraine -- Explosions and Western anger over the alleged prison beating of hunger-striking ex-premier Yulia Tymoshenko have turned Ukraine's Euro 2012 dreams into a nightmare just weeks before the kick-off. he former Soviet nation of 46 million had been hoping to use its first major showcase to charm and impress the European fans who plan to trek beyond co-hosts Poland and visit Ukraine's three gleaming new football venues. But things took a tense turn in mid-April when European football boss Michel Platini -- a suave Frenchman who has backed Ukraine's cause from the start -- accused its "bandits and crooks" of hiking up hotel prices to exorbitant rates. Just a week later jail guards admitted using force to move Tymoshenko to a local hospital so she could be treated for a bad back that was keeping her from attending a new trial on tax charges. The new trial could extend Tymoshenko's original abuse of office sentence by five years until 2023. The European Union had called for her immediate release even before the new hearings had begun. The prosecution of the opposition leader has bedevilled President Viktor Yanukovych, accused of seeking revenge after she led the 2004 Orange Revolution protests that stripped him of a tainted election win. Tymoshenko -- her plight viewed far more negatively in Europe than at home -- launched a hunger strike and later posted pictures showing two large bruises on her abdomen that supporters said confirmed her beating claims. "You cannot close your eyes on human rights, even during a great sporting celebration," European Union Justice Commissioner Viviane Reding said. But debate among EU leaders and fans about attending the Ukrainian side of festivities turned more urgent when four home-made bombs went off in the country's industrial heartland on Friday. The unclaimed attack in the eastern city of Dnipropetrovsk -- Tymoshenko's home town -- injured at least 26 people and seemed primarily designed to scare rather than kill. Police said the bombs were not packed with nails or ball bearings that militants use to create deadly shrapnel. There will be no football played in Dnipropetrovsk itself and Platini's UEFA immediately expressed its "confidence in the security measures that have been developed by the authorities." But Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk said he hoped the attacks would be "treated with the utmost seriousness." Ukraine enjoys a vibrant political culture that spills over into periodic protests but has never before led to bloodshed on the scale witnessed on Friday. Many pundits noted that Dnipropetrovsk was the home town of Tymoshenko and wondered whether this was more than a coincidence. Others joined calls to keep the investigation separate from politics. Yanukovych himself took charge of the probe by visiting the stricken city on Saturday and chairing a security meeting at which he announced a $250,000 reward for leads. And a court in the eastern city of Kharkiv where Tymoshenko's new trial was just gathering momentum unexpectedly delayed hearings for three weeks on account of her failing health. Some analysts saw the decision as the first tangible evidence of Yanukovych trying to take pressure off his government ahead of the tournament. They also said Yanukovych might soon be ready to release his rival for treatment abroad in a move that could go a long way towards ensuring the EU's firm backing for Ukraine as the Euro 2012 host. "The Euro 2012 is the year's big event for the government -- bigger than the (October parliamentary) elections," said political analyst Volodymyr Fesenko, arguing that the authorities care more about this than keeping Tymoshenko in jail. "They are not ready to sacrifice it for Tymoshenko," Fesenko said.

What makes US politicians hate Russia?

Russia is the USA's main enemy. Mitt Romney, the Republican Party's most likely candidate for the American Presidency commented on this in the wake of talks at the summit on the subject of nuclear safety between Barack Obama and Dmitry Medvedev. "Russia, this is, without question, our number one geopolitical foe. They - they fight every cause for the world's worst actors," he said, commenting on the outcome of the meeting of the US and Russian presidents in Seoul. "Russia - Unfriendly figure on the world stage. Fact that the president is seeking greater flexibility in relations with Russia despite the fact that he had nothing to say to the American people about the relationship with Russia - a very disturbing sign. I am very, very concerned about this. It - Russia is, without question, our geopolitical enemy number one "- said Romney. What is it that has so incensed Mr Romney? He reacted in this way to the results of the meeting between Medvedev and Obama at the Nuclear Security Summit in South Korea. To be more exact, he reacted to a remark which the TV channel ABC attributed to the American President. It has been said that at the close of the meeting with Medvedev, he and Obama made an informal agreement concerning the placements of American anti-ballistic missiles on the Russian borders. "It is my last election. After this election I will have more flexibility. All these problems, especially about the ABMs may be resolved, but the main this is to give me space to maneuver," Obama supposedly said. Medvedev promised to impart what he had heard to Vladimir Putin. "I understand. I will tell Vladimir this information," answered the Russian President. Benjamin Rhodes, Deputy Advisor to the US President, attempted to smooth over the discomfiture concerning national safety. According to Rhodes, it was actually rather difficult for the two governments in the pre-election year to agree on delicate issues such as the ABM Treaty at the table because "both sides talk too much about these policies." "This was a political year in which Russia had only just had its elections, and we were coming up to the elections for the Presidential Congress. It was not a year in which we could sort out extremely complex issues like these. That's why it's better to stop and let the technical experts get on with it, like the President said," maintained a high-ranking official in the American administration. Obama tried to justify it himself. However, his words were far from accepted by his political opponents. "The situation which has developed at the moment does not promote substantial consultations. I think that we will get better results in 2013," noted the President. The Republican Party have promptly started to make a fuss. Congressman Mike Turner sent a letter to the White House which urged Obama to "give an urgent explanation of his statement at the meeting with the President of the Russian Federation Dmitry Medvedev, which was held in the morning in Seoul." He also reminded him of the readiness to "block any attempt to weaken the anti-missile defense of the country." "I would like to declare with the utmost clarity that we and our colleagues do not envisage any kind of auction with Russia or other countries over the ABM Treaty," wrote Turner. Romney's words remain at the vanguard of the attacks. He claims that he is not the first to address these concerns over Russia. We can recall numerous crude statements made by the former Republican presidential candidate, Senator John McCain. It is worth noting what he said in 2003: "America's foreign policy should reflect a sobering conclusion about the fact that the Russian government, which does not share our basic values, cannot be a friend or a partner and risk its own behaviour by putting itself in the category of enemies." In a similar vein he said then, what he still maintains today. The list of senators and congressmen who have become hostile towards Russia goes on and on, extending to Republican Senator Ileana Ros-Lehtinen. Russia even has ill-wishers amongst the Democrats. Particularly the late Tom Lantos, the now healthy Benjamin Cardin and of course, Zbigniew Brzezinskiy who wrote in his book "The Grand Chessboard" that "the new world order under the hegemony of the USA is directed against Russia, at Russia's own expense and on Russia's ruins". Which irreparable concession did Obama come to on the ABM Treaty? What made Romney and other Republicans correct him? There was no such concession. He refused the placements of radar in the Czech Republic, but the doubtful American installation was extremely unpopular amongst the local population. And ABM devices will be appearing in Poland and Romania in the coming years. Madeleine Kridon, aid to the USA's Minister of Defense said soon these anti-ballistic devices will be literally all over the world. According to Kridon, the USA intends to develop its own ABMs in the Pacific Ocean, working closely with Japan, South Korea and Australia. In the Middle East, the Persian Gulf countries have also formed such alliances. Thus far, we have not heard anything about Romney's "installations". Instead of declaring Russia to be an enemy (and possibly China too), Kridon continued to talk about the threats emanating from Iran and North Korea. "Measuring the advance of work with the aim of architectural development (ABMs), for those regions (Asia and the Middle East), we will concentrate our attention on the use of those approaches, which promote favourable opportunities of interaction with allies and partners who will help to neutralise possible threats to security which might arise, and also the strengthening of our partnership," said Kridon. As yet, no such concessions on the ABM Treaty from the Obama administration towards Russia have been followed up. Romney may reproach Obama's administration for the fact that the President, Secretary of State Hillary Clinton and others who are responsible for the passing of laws and decisions, do not call Russia "an enemy". But they do not call Russia "a friend" either. There is nothing that can prove Washington's intention to be friends with Russia. If what Romney has said is not just pre-election rhetoric, driven by the criticism of political opponents, then the masks have been thrown aside. A US presidential hopeful sees Russia as an enemy. He is not alone at this point. The hostility towards Russia is infected to a great extent by the American political elite, and Romney is only voicing the mood around him. Therefore, one should not expect progress on the ABM negotiations. Even if Obama wanted to do something, they simply wouldn't let him. So it is not only the Republicans but also partly those from within Democratic Party.

Medvedev goes to United Russia

Russia is getting to the heart of political practice, as the president is preserves his non-party status and the Head of the Government relies on the parliamentary majority; defeating the party in the Duma elections. Vladimir Putin, after his inauguration of the Presidential post, will abandon his post as Chairman of "United Russia". The members of the "United Russia" party have appointed Dmitry Medvedev in his place. On Tuesday, Putin declared his readiness to step down as Chairman in a meeting with leaders of the Party. "After the inauguration, which will take place on the 7th May this year, I think that it is the right thing to do to step down as Chairman of "United Russia", Putin said. "I will ask you and members of the Party to call an unscheduled conference in the second half of May to the effect that Dmitry Medvedev will head the "United Russia" Party in the Russian Duma elections, and also with respect to the fact that I will be nominating him for the position of Chairman of the Government if I deem it to be appropriate, and if he had run the Party," Putin continued. Putin maintains that it is a worldwide practice that the "government relies on the parliamentary majority." "Only in this way can we achieve effective, shared tasks," the Prime Minister emphasised. Aside from that, Putin noted that a certain kind of tradition has started to develop in Russia, where the president has become a "post-party figure". "The constitution does not prohibit the president from being a member of any party, and it is in this vein that we have developed in our political career. The president is a consolidatory figure for all political parties, and for all citizens of Russia," Putin is quoted as saying to "Interfax". In turn, Boris Grizlov, High Advisor to the President of United Russia has no doubt that Medvedev will be unanimously elected as leader of the Party in the upcoming conference."The conference will be in May and our proposal to elect him as the leader of the Party will be supported by all of our parties, and by all the delegations at the conference," said Grizov on Tuesday at a meeting of the leaders of "United Russia" with Putin. Aleksandr Tochenov, Director of ANO (The Autonomous Non-Commercial Organisation) at the "Centre of Applied Research and Programming" sees a certain logic in the forthcoming "reshuffle". "Putin, the future President, always said, 'I am a a post-party figure'. So did Medvedev," said the political commentator in an interview with Pravda.ru. "The President should have contact with all the parties on the political scene, those that are here at the moment and those that will appear in the future. It's the right thing to do for our political system," the expert claimed. Aleksandr Zudin, Deputy Director of the Centre of Political Trends, notes that Russia is getting ever closer to world practice. "In parliamentary systems, the leader of the party is the Prime Minister," he said in an interview with Pravda.ru. "These things coincide. In any case, the Prime Minister can rely on the party's majority. It strengthens his position and increases his autonomy." «If we compare Medvedev, the future Prime Minister of the Party, with some other Russian Prime Ministers from history, they relied less so on the party majority, but more on the President directly. And it was only through him that you could obtain a party majority," clarified the political commentator, underscoring the fact that it is not worth drawing any direct parallels between the Russian system and world practice. Russia is not a parliamentary system, but a presidential-parliamentary one, he reminded us. According to Zudin, the first stage of political practice is when the President preserves his post-party status, and the head of the Government relies on the powers of the Party, a process which has already developed in Russia. "Under Putin there were a few deviations, since it was necessary to consolidate the political system," the expert claimed. '"This is now the first stage of the practicalities; the "post-party President" is now being established. And the most interesting thing is that the second stage has started to appear; the Prime Minister is relying on a party majority in the State Duma." Upon discussing various perspectives of the members of "United Russia", headed by Medvedev, Aleksandr Tochenov has noted that the so-called "old hats" of the Party, it would most likely be a disadvantage. However, for the "United Russia" members of tomorrow, I think it would be a major plus," Tochenov suggested. Along with this, he suggested that the new Chairman of the party would be able to help unite existing inter-party friction. "The question is whether Medvedev will be able to unite all these different factions and people who are coming from different directions, whether he is going to become the leader and supporter of one of them or, most likely, the of right-wing liberal values.? Zudin suggested that the Medvedev leadership is capable of governing "United Russia". "We are on the brink of great change," with the new incentive. "The leadership change over will ensure that 'United Russia' will be placed on a course of irreversible change. It will completely alter the party," he said. Experts have noted that, in this case, it is worth discussing not only how Medvedev will influence "United Russia" but also how "United Russia", which has the party majority, is capable of influencing Medvedev's image. "United Russia" is a centrist party, and does not exclude the fact that they require a definitive reconfiguration of their image from Medvedev, whose own image is a little displaced in the centre-right parties. Medvedev must then work in compliance with two images; the general party image and his image as a leader," summarised Zudin.

AvtoVAZ recalls thousands of Kalina and Granta cars

AvtoVAZ has announced that it is recalling 70,000 LADA Kalina cars and 24,000 LADA Granta cars dues to potential fuel-system problems, Interfax reported on Friday. “AvtoVAZ, in taking care of consumers and paying close attention to the quality and safety of its LADA cars, has announced the recall of 70,000 LADA Kalina and 24,000 LADA Granta cars produced during the period from October 2011 to March 2012, in order to avoid a potential fault in the automobiles’ fuel systems,” Interfax quoted a press release from the car manufacture as saying. It said that testing had discovered a potential fuel line problem that appeared after more than 50,000 km of mileage.

Medvedev-Putin tandem here to stay – president

The ruling tandem of outgoing President Dmitry Medvedev and president-elect Vladimir Putin is here to stay, Medvedev said in a Q&A press session held on Thursday. “It’s not a bad thing when the country’s fate, its political processes depend not only on the will of just one person, who does whatever comes into his head, but when the decision-making process is based on discussion, when there are several people in the country who influence the political process,” Medvedev said. “So I believe it is time everyone relaxed – all of this is here for the long haul.”

Medvedev to attend May Day rally

President Dmitry Medvedev has announced that he intends to take part in this weekend’s May Day parade in Moscow. “Meet you at the rally,” quoted Medvedev as saying of Friday at a meeting with the leaders of United Russia. Russia’s union movements expect to see a turnout of 2 million people at nationwide rallies to be held on May 1. Union representatives earlier announced that they had invited Medvedev and Prime Minister Vladimir Putin to attend the May Day event.

Chechen lawyer flees Russia after threats

Chechen lawyer Dagir Khasavov fled Russia after receiving death threats following his calls for Sharia law to be introduced in the country. The Russian Political Immigrants society announced on Friday that he swiftly left the country, The lawyer left for “a European country” after receiving threats. His son, Arlsan Khasavov, wrote in his blog that his father was provoked, possibly by Chechen authorities, to make him a “ritual sacrifice” before the inauguration. Khasanov gave an interview to Ren TV on April 24, where he said that Muslims in Russia do not want to go to secular courts and Russia must use Sharia law. “Muslims do not want to get involved in the multilayered court system, it is alien to them. You think that we come here to Russia like to some alien place. But we think that we are at home. Maybe you are alien, and we are at home. And we will set the rules, the rules that suit us, whether you want it or not. Any attempts to change it will end in blood, it will be the second Dead Sea. We will flood the city with blood.” Khasavov told Interfax on Wednesday that his words were distorted. He said when he was talking about Sharia law, he meant inter-family cases, and not criminal. He also said he was not aware that the comments would be filmed by the crew. The Prosecutor’s Office saw the lawyer’s statement as extremist based on an investigation by The Russian Institute of Culture. Experts found that the speech was aimed at exciting hatred and animosity based on religion (Islam), and could be considered a call for extremist activity, a Prosecutor’s Office spokeswoman told Interfax. The materials were sent to the Investigative Committee. Russian communications watchdog Roskomnadzor is also examining the interview. A number of organisations call for Khasavov’s lawyer credentials to be annulled. The All-Russia Officers of Russia public organisation asked the head of Moscow Bar Association, Genry Reznik, to start a disciplinary investigation and to deny Khasavov the status of attorney, Interfax reported. “The appeal notes in particular that such statements from a lawyer are damaging to the credibility of all Russian lawyers,” head of Officers of Russia, Anton Tsevtkov, told Interfax. “Khasavov, using the media as his platform, basically expressed threats of violence on a religious basis.” Reznik, however, replied that no action will be taken until the police examine the evidence.

Study removes WTO doubts

As the countdown shortens before Russia makes its momentous entry into the World Trade Organization in July, a debate rages about how beneficial membership will actually be. Since Russia’s accession deal to the global trade body was signed in December after a record-breaking 20-year negotiation period, dozens of business representatives have taken stands against the destructive effects increased competition from abroad will have on their sectors. In apparent reaction to the backlash, Deputy Prime Minister Igor Shuvalov hailed the WTO membership in a speech to the Federation Council last month, highlighting the benefits it will bring to the country’s economy and investment climate. In a controversial footnote to his speech, he also criticized the politically motivated vetoing of imports by the country’s food sanitary watchdog, saying that WTO entry would bring such practices to an end. “Trade will become more liberal and we will no longer be able to fiddle with sanitary control measures,” Shuvalov said. “This is entirely within our interests.” Recent embargoes have targeted Ukrainian cheese, American chicken, and Georgian and Moldovan wine. The results of a study carried out by the New Economic School and presented in Moscow last week support Shuvalov’s claim that the economy will be the real winner of membership in the trade club. The study, which assesses the effect of WTO rules on all sectors of the economy, has found that entry to the organization will boost economic growth by around 0.5 percent. “In the long term, WTO accession will benefit both domestic production and the investment climate in this country,” Sergei Guriyev, director of the New Economic School, said at Thursday’s presentation. The study found that consumers will benefit from a decrease in prices, while anti-dumping measures will mean that Russian goods will have no barriers to foreign markets. he economists also found that entry to the trade body will lower customs duties by 22 percent to around 7.8 percent, and ease entry to the Russian market for foreign companies. A general increase in foreign investment is also expected due to a forced reduction in red tape and an increase in transparency, in accordance with the rules of the trade body. “Russia’s entrance to the WTO and Customs Union [with Belarus, Kazakhstan and Ukraine] may bring investors to Russia who are interested in investing in Central Asia,” said Natalia Volchkova, economist at the New Economic School. The authors of the study admit that some industries and regions will be hit worse than others. Many of these, such as the agriculture, pork production, and machinery sectors, are being given a longer period to adjust to the new system – in some cases, up to eight months. However, the Higher School of Economics experts said that WTO membership would not mean that Russia loses all of its powers of protectionism. “If a big American or European company wants to protect itself against a foreign rival, it hires experts to prove that, for example, the Chinese economy is not a free economy and Chinese goods are sold at prices that are too low,” Volchkova said. “The whole process takes a year or a year and a half on average, and if the accusations are proved to be correct, the country is allowed to introduce additional customs against the company or a country,” she added. The study found that Russia’s many single-industry towns, or “monogorods,” will be hit hardest by entry in the trade organization. The country currently has 450 such towns, which the experts said will become hotspots of unemployment and depopulation as a result of the new trade laws. The closure of various factories during the 2008-2009 global economic crisis, sparked unrest in several such towns, including the widely-publicized Pikalyovo workers’ strike near St. Petersburg. “Production in monogorods that are not involved in the natural resources sector may plummet and unemployment will increase,” Volchkova told the news conference. “This will spark a f low of workers to more prosperous cities.” The research found that Moscow and the Moscow region will benefit most from WTO entry, with consumption there expected to rise by as much as 0.88 percent. Meanwhile, consumption in St. Petersburg and the Leningrad region is expected to rise by 0.85 percent. On the other side of the scale, consumption in Siberia and the Urals is expected to decrease by 0.14 percent and 0.06 percent respectively.

Critics decry governor bill

Several Russian regions will directly elect governors this fall for the first time since 2004 after a bill re-introducing gubernatorial elections was passed this week – but opposition lawmakers say a slew of limitations have turned the measure into a farce. “What we will see in October is not an election,” Valery Zubov, the former governor of the Krasnoyarsk region and a Just Russia deputy, said. “It’s not a bill about elections, it’s a law about appointing governors dressed up as an election – I would not have become governor [in 1993] if my candidacy had to have approval from the top.” The State Duma passed the bill in its third reading on Wednesday with just 237 out of 450 votes, three months after it was introduced by President Dmitry Medvedev in the wake of unprecedented protests. The measure was seen as part of a liberalization package that included easing restrictions on registering political parties, but critics have since played down the move. “The amendments which were introduced by the [pro-Kremlin] United Russia party have turned the bill into a farce,” Just Russia deputy Andrei Rudenko told The Moscow News on Wednesday. His party took issue with changes introduced into the bill making it mandatory for candidates to be backed by 5 percent to 10 percent of municipal councilmen before they can be nominated, and forcing independents to get the backing of serving governors. “Only one party can achieve this – the ruling [United Russia] party that has a near total presence [in municipal politics],” Rudenko said. And the so-called presidential filter, will allow the president to influence the election by holding consultations and publically voicing preference for a candidate. President-elect Vladimir Putin, who outlawed governors’ elections during his second presidential term in 2004, will in effect still get to handpick preferred candidates, Rudenko said. “You can’t allow someone holding executive office to engage in this kind of campaigning,” he said. Once the bill is ratified by the Federation Council, the upper chamber of parliament, it will take effect on June 1, 2012. In that case, three regions where the governor’s term expires by the end of the year – Bryansk, Amur, and Novgorod – will be eligible to hold elections as early as October 14. Rudenko was echoing months of heated debate about whether the law could usher in independent and possibly oppositionist governors, with many critics arguing that Putin would still retain leverage to appoint them in everything but name. Following Putin’s re-election, a handful of independent candidates won mayoral elections in their cities, while Astrakhan’s Oleg Shein, who lost to a United Russia-backed candidate, went on a 40-day hunger strike protesting voter fraud, stopping his fast only when his lawsuit over the election went to court. Meanwhile, independents such as blogger Ilya Varlamov, who is running in the primaries for mayor of Omsk, have flocked to the provinces to try their hand at local politics. In that context, the governors’ election bill was closely watched for clues to how much leeway independents would get to run for an executive post that involved more power than the position of mayor. Zubov, the Krasnoyarsk region’s former governor, said he may run again, but pointed out that his top priority is introducing new candidates. He would run, he said, only if the latter proves impossible. “How do you expect new politicians to appear under a law like this? They never will,” Zubov said. But supporters of the bill argued that direct, unfettered governors’ elections were too much of a radical measure given problems with corruption and rule of law. “Getting rid of limitations and filters is just as radical and wrong as getting rid of elections altogether,” Sergei Markov, a senior United Russia member and a former Duma deputy, inforned. “Both are extremes.” A governor, Markov said, not only had to reflect the will of the people, but also needed to be integrated into the vertical of executive power in such a large country as Russia. According to Markov, the real question is what kind of limitations to introduce. “For the presidential filter, I would have given the president the right to veto a candidacy,” Markov said.

Russia to create ‘parallel government’ in Far East

A new state-run development company will get unprecedented powers to invest in natural resources on nearly two thirds of Russia’s territory, and be answerable directly to the president, according to a bill drafted by the Economic Ministry this week. The State Corporation to develop Eastern Siberia and the Far East will have direct access to land and natural resources in 16 Russian regions (comprising 60 percent of the country), bypassing laws on natural resources, forestry, land distribution and even labor. In a reflection of the corporation’s powers, government sources cited by the paper are already dubbing it “a state within a state,” and even a new Far Eastern Republic. “In essence, a parallel government is being formed that will be headed by [President-elect Vladimir] Putin personally,” Rostislav Turovsky, a regions expert and the vice president of the Center of Political Technologies said. “This will limit the powers of [outgoing President Dmitry] Medvedev as Prime Minister, with Putin taking control of economic decisions when he becomes president. The country will be split into two parts, just like under Ivan the Terrible, with the Zemschina and the Oprichnina. One part will be run by Medvedev, and the other by this state corporation.” The draft of the federal law, suggested in January by then-Emergencies Minister Sergei Shoigu and developed on orders from Putin, was submitted this week to the Energy Ministry, the Natural Resource Ministry, and the Ministry of Trade and Industry. Putin’s press secretary, Dmitry Peskov, could neither confirm nor deny that the bill had been drafted. “No such decision was made,” he told The Moscow News. “There are no such plans. This issue is still being developed.” According to Kommersant, the corporation will be granted the right to allot licenses to mine for natural resources such as gold – something that is currently only authorized by the federal and regional governments. The entity will be subordinate directly to the president, while other state agencies will not be able to interfere in its decisions. To facilitate the ventures, the body would get 500 billion rubles ($17 billion) worth of stakes in energy, resource and infrastructure companies like RusHydro, Russian Railways, diamond company Alrosa, the Inter RAO energy holding, and the Leninsky Riverboat company. The corporation would also receive unprecedented oversight in the decisions of major state monopolies like Gazprom and Transneft. With its headquarters in Vladivostok, the corporation would get significant tax breaks – such as a zero percent profit tax – as well as rights to develop projects on lands owned by other entities, something that analysts said could hamper investment by other companies already operating in the area. Federal funds would subsidize travel and living expenses for Russians and foreigners employed in the corporation’s projects. Funding could come from the $90 billion National Well-Being Fund, Vedomosti reported in March. Putin pledged to revive the Far East and set up a state development corporation as part of his reelection campaign platform. He also named the Far East as one of five key priority areas for the Russian economy in a speech to the Duma earlier this month. Shoigu was initially fingered as a possible head of the new entity, but in March Putin’s deputy, Igor Shuvalov, was named as the likeliest candidate for the job. “Whoever heads this corporation will control massive resources, and if Shuvalov heads it, he will be at least as powerful as a deputy prime minister, so Shuvalov would be a logical choice,” said Turovsky, of the Center of Political Technologies. “Whoever heads this corporation could also be seen as a possible candidate to eventually replace Medvedev as Prime Minister.” President Medvedev will assume Putin’s current post as prime minister under a pact the two made public last fall, but speculation is increasing that Medvedev may not hold on to the prime minister’s seat for long. Putin, who will be inaugurated on May 7, will be able to appoint the cooperation’s general director and supervisory council, giving him significant leeway in ensuring which investment projects get first choice infrastructural preference. Analysts argue that because the bill has yet to be submitted to the State Duma, it is too soon to tell whether some of its controversial points will even make it into the final draft. “Much of this could yet raise a lot of debate,” Turovsky said. “It could still be a matter of political bargaining.” The bill will open up a slew of investment opportunities to develop billions of dollars worth of natural resource deposits, such as gold deposits in the Sukhoi Log site in the Irkutsk region, iron deposits and undeveloped oil fields in the Krasnoyarsk region, and coal in the Tuva region. Turovsky added that the move was likely geared to promote the investment opportunities ahead of the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation Summit, to be held in Vladivostok in September.

Russia may create National Guard

Russia may soon have a new power agency, the National Guard, to fight internal and external threats, Russia Today reports. It will be created on the base of the internal troops of the Interior Affairs Ministry and other power structures, including the airborne troops, Air Force, Navy, military police of the Defense Ministry and divisions of the EMERCOM. The prime goal of the National Guard will be to ensure security for the country and defend the constitutional order, the Nezavisimaya Gazeta wrote. For the time being, the Defense Ministry, the Security Council and the presidential administration are working on a new plan for Russia's defense. The officials proceed from the goals, which Prime Minister Vladimir Putin set in his article about the guarantees of national security for Russia. The plan stipulates the creation of a program for the training of the Armed Forces, special services and other defense structures to show fast and efficient reactions to new threats. It remains unknown whether the plan stipulates the creation of a new power agency in the military organization of the country. However, changes will obviously take place. For example, the internal security troops and the troops of the Russian EMERCOM could be united taking into consideration the fact that EMERCOM Minister Sergei Shoigu has agreed to become the governor of the Moscow region. The creation of the National Guard is not a new idea in Russia's history. Boris Yeltsin was obsessed with the idea during the time of his struggle for power in 1991-1992. Experts and scientists of politics believed that the National Guard could be created in Russia on the threshold of reforms in the Interior Ministry in 2009-2010. There are several reasons for the National Guard to be created in Russia. First and foremost, it goes about the color revolutions in Egypt and Tunisia, the armed conflict in Libya and the civil war in Syria. All these events prove that a country needs to have a sufficient quantity of special troops to defend its constitutional order. Such troops must subordinate to the head of state. Secondly, it goes about the events in the country on the threshold of the presidential election. There is also the instability in the Northern Caucasus, which shows that there may not be enough forces and troops to ensure public safety and to conduct anti-terrorist operations. Russia needs the troops of special kind that would be more powerful, efficient and mobile. Interior troops and other forces of the Interior Ministry can meet those requirements only partially. Finally, in spite of the fact that the reforms of the Armed Forces of the Russian Federation are about to finish, the military organization of the country is still unable to show adequate reactions to new challenges and threats to the national security. It is only the internal troops (182,000 servicemen) that can execute the goals successfully. This is nearly 1.5 times less than the ground troops that do not execute any combat tasks at all. The National Guard may have 350-400 thousand servicemen. Most of them - up to 80% - will be contract soldiers.

Evil troll Berezovsky says Britain's Prince Harry should rule Russia

ligarch in disgrace Boris Abramovich Berezovsky (known for his initials as BAB) announced the principles of the new ideology of Russia. According to him, Russia must have a new leader - Britain's Prince Harry. When Mr. Berezovsky announced the establishment of the Christian and Democratic Revolutionary Party of Russia's Resurrection, everyone thought that it was a joke. However, it turned out that Berezovsky did not even intend to make any jokes. The news about the new party came on April 15th, when the Orthodox world was celebrating Easter. That was not very important, though. Boris Abramovich Berezovsky formulated his basic ideas of Russia's revival. The ideas are supposed to lay the foundation of his new party. Anyway, it appears that BAB has firmly decided to become a stand-up comedian. Speaking about the great role of Russia, Berezovsky harshly criticized the United States, which, as he said, can no longer carry the cross of the leader of the democratic world. "After September 11, instead of showing a new ideology, the USA made a step back. The country began strengthening its state-run institutions and toughening centralized control over the society," he wrote in the foreword for his manifesto. He continued with saying that the new world will belong to those who realize the new system of "transparent" structure of society and state. Russia does not need to do too much for that, he believes. Particularly, Berezovsky has an interesting approach to the problem of the relations between the regions and the center. According to him, every entity should have a state status, so that it is up to entities (regions) to decide which powers should be delegated to the center, and not vice versa, as it happens now. According to BAB, it is a monarch, who is supposed to become the central figure of the new state. The power of the monarch will be restricted by a constitution. Berezovsky has already chosen the candidate for this role - Prince Harry. The younger son of Prince Charles and Princess Diana is one of the brightest symbols of the modern civilized world, Berezovsky believes. Moreover, he believes that Prince Harry has "more Russian blood than the last Russian Emperor Nicholas II. Prince Harry's great great grandmother was the great duchess Olga Konstantinovna Romanov. The oligarch also suggests Russia should adopt the British legal system, which has a major advantage over the Russian legal system. According to him, the Russian elite have already "chosen London as the capital of justice." It goes without saying that BAB is supposed to hail the London court that covers up the affairs of the oligarch in disgrace. Berezovsky also put forward an idea to get rid of the State Duma and the Federation Council. The departments, as he said, can be replaced with the law-making mechanism that stipulates online voting. Communists may surely like his slogan "Petrodollars to the people!" The entire profit received from the extraction of natural resources should be shared among Russian citizens rather than wired to the budget. Nationalists may like Berezovsky's idea about the Russian citizenship. According to the oligarch, anyone, who passes exams on the Russian language and the knowledge of the Russian culture, regardless of their place of their permanent residence, can become Russian citizens. All of those theses already exist in the programs of Russian parties. Needless to say that it is impossible to discussed the above-mentioned ideas seriously. As they say in Russia, there is a share of joke in every joke. It seems that Mr. Berezovsky has become an evil troll (an Internet troll) to play games with the general public and take revenge on his opponents.

Russia becomes world's third largest defense spender

he Russian Federation is ranked third in the world in terms of the spending on the army. This was stated at SIPRI's report about the spending of world's leading economies on arms procurement. According to SIPRI's experts (The Stockholm International Peace Research Institute), the Russian Federation increased the spending on the army by more than nine percent in 2011. Russia's army spending thus totaled $72 billion. The amount put Russia ahead of France ($62.7 billion) and Britain ($62.5 billion). China comes second on the list with $143 billion, whereas the first place belongs to the United States - $711 billion. Unlike Russia and China, the previous six leaders cut their arms procurement spending to save budget funds, the Vedomosti wrote. In 2010, the list of six leaders included Brazil, France, Germany, India, Britain and the USA. In 2011, Russia and China made France and Britain move. China's defense spending increased by 6.7 percent. "China's extensive and growing trade relations with the countries in its neighbourhood have been marred by disputes - eg the border dispute with India, a dispute over the Senkaku (Diaoyu) islands with Japan, and contested maritime borders with several nations in the South China Sea - all of which have led to increased tensions," the report said. The top ten list also increased Japan ($59.3 bn), India ($48.9 bn), Saudi Arabia ($48.5 bn), Germany ($46.7 bn) and Brazil ($35.4 bn). The global defense spending made up $1.7 trillion in 2011, SIPRI said.

Kalashnikov rifle maker declared bankrupt

JSC Izhmash, the maker of the legendary Kalashnikov assault rifles, was declared bankrupt in accordance with the award of the Court of Arbitration of the Udmurtia Republic. Bankruptcy administration was introduced at the company on Friday, April 7. The introduction of the bankruptcy administration will give the company an opportunity to preserve its property and brand. Maksim Kuzyuk, the General Director of Izhmash, believes that all enforcement proceedings will be suspended within the scope of the procedure. In addition, the arrests of the company's accounts will be lifted. Therefore, the company will be able to make settlements with counteragents and execute its current obligations on time (tax payments, contract payments, salary payments). In 2011, JSC Izhmash and Russian Technologies state-run corporation developed the concept for restructurization. A new company called Scientific and Industrial Association Izhmash (NPO Izhmash), a branch company of Russian Technologies, appeared as a result of the work. All contractual obligations and personnel were re-registered with the new company. The basic activities will be delivered to NPO Izhmash before the end of the first quarter of 2012. Russian news agencies said in January that the defense ministry was not planning any orders with Izhmash within the scope of the state defense order for 2012. It was also said that the new AK-12 assault rifle was nothing more but a bluff. However, Izhmash officials said that the AK-12 was designed for export purposes to meet all modern requirements to small arms. An order from the state would give the company an opportunity to launch the serial production of the AK-12 for the Russian Armed Forces. The state tests of the new rifle may begin at the end of 2012 or in the beginning of 2013. Russia's Interior Ministry has already evinced great interest in the new product. "Developing a new family of automatic arms is a priority for Izhmash to retrieve the world share of the market," Maksim Kuzyuk, the General Director of the Scientific and Industrial Association said.

Russia to become one of five world's largest economies - Putin

Prime Minister Vladimir Putin believes that the main achievement of the Russian government is stabilization and the growth of the population in the country. "I believe that our main achievement is stabilization and the growth of the population of Russia. It exceeded 143 million people as of 2011. We did not let the crisis ruin the positive demographic trends," Putin stated during his annual report to the State Duma. According to him, the crisis became a colossal challenge, which was much larger and more dangerous than the crisis of 1998. "If we had failed to respond to it, we would have ruined our economy and the social sphere. We would've also cast doubts on the sovereignty and the geopolitical solvency of the country. We would've also buried all ideas of modernization and development," Putin stated. The head of the government and President-elect thanked Russian citizens for their "stamina, patience and confidence." Russia has managed to pass the test owing to "everyone's responsibility, social partnership and civil solidarity," he said. Vladimir Putin also said that in the beginning of the current year, Russia's GDP exceeded the pre-crisis level. "In the beginning of 2012, like we planned, the Russian GDP exceeded the pre-crisis level," the prime minister said. As of 2011, the GDP made up 41 trillion 421 billion rubles Putin also stated that Russia would soon become one of the world's five leading economies. "Russia will become one of the world's five largest economies during the upcoming two or three years," Putin said. However, he added, Russia still lags behind the most developed countries on the productivity of labor, i.e. the quality of economy - three or four times. According to Putin, one needs to concentrate on the strategic directions in Russia's development. "I formulated the priorities of our program during the election campaign. In my first presidential decree, I will outline the "road map" on all of those initiatives. Moreover, the work on them has practically begun," the prime minister said. Putin stressed out the need to concentrate on strategically important issues for the country - the ones connected with Russia's historical perspectives. He pointed out five priorities, having placed demography on the first place, Interfax reports. The second goal is connected with the arrangement of Russia's territory. First and foremost, it goes about the development of Siberia and the Far East. The head of the government stated that there would be a special department established to deal with the coordination and control of the development of the Far East and East Siberia. Creating jobs is the third goal. Another one is the need to create the new economy that could be capable of growing under the conditions of tough competition. To crown it all, Russia needs to strengthen its positions in the world. Integration in Eurasian space is the main priority at this point. "The idea of the new Eurasian integration has been getting more and more attractive. The reality of life and the experience of 20 years put everything in their places. It has become obvious that one can't handle today's challenges of global turbulence alone," Putin said.

Russia and Iran restore cooperation despite UN sanctions

Russia and Iran continue to strengthen bilateral ties. The relations between Moscow and Teheran have strengthened considerably during the recent two decades. The two countries have signed a series of economic and defense agreements. The cooperation in the field of science and education has been developing steadily too. This week, it was reported that Iran has officially approved a new standard of education, in which the studies of the Russian language will become an inseparable part of the local school program. Until recently, Iranian schools had two mandatory disciplines - Farsi (the Persian language) and English. Now children and their parents can choose, which foreign language they can study. Students may choose from French, German, Spanish, Italian and Russian languages. The news was reported by Fars News agency. The agency refers to official sources at the Education Ministry of the Islamic Republic. Iranian schoolchildren will be able to study Russian beginning with the sixth grade. It is quite possible that the studies of the Russian language will gain more importance at Iranian schools in the future. A remark from the chairman of the Supreme Council of Education Mehdi Navid clearly proved that Iran was going to pay much more attention to the studies of foreign languages in the country. "In those provinces where a certain foreign language is more necessary, the question will receive increased attention from the authorities," the official said. The Iranian authorities have always showed respect to the traditions of the Russian community. Russian migrants, who left the country during the civil war, and their descendants, have been living in Iran for more than 70 years. Two Orthodox churches are open in Teheran for all Orthodox Christians who either live in the country or visit as tourists. The development of relations between Russia and Iran began during the 1990s, soon after the collapse of the Soviet Union. In April 1997, the two countries signed an agreement on trade and economic cooperation, which served the basis for the development of mutually beneficial commerce between the countries. Ten years later - in October 2007 - Vladimir Putin made his first visit to Iran. It became the first visit of a Russian leader to Iran in 50 years. The expansion of bilateral ties was regulated at the Memorandum about the development of economic and scientific cooperation in 2007. The commodity circulation between Russia and Iran continued to grow and reached $3 billion. Moscow and Teheran were improving their ties against the background of the international crisis connected with the Iranian nuclear program. The crisis started in 2003. Russia was building the first Iranian nuclear power plant in Bushehr, which raised concerns with the USA and its NATO allies. However, the Russian administration made a number of concessions for the West. Russia particularly suspended the delivery of S-300 systems to Teheran. The two countries currently try to restore the defense cooperation within the scope of the UN sanctions against Iran. Russia still insists on the diplomatic solution of the Iranian nuclear problem. Russian officials urge their US counterparts not to introduce new sanctions against Teheran. The Islamic Republic, being practically isolated from the world, is extremely interested in supporting the Kremlin. It appears that the decision to include the Russian language on the list of five foreign languages for Iranian schools is not incidental. This is rather a political question. Iran approaches Russia as a potential ally in the region. Studying the language and culture of a friendly country has always been an important instrument of developing cooperation in all fields of life. One should bear in mind the fact that Iran borders on Azerbaijan, where thousands of Russian-speaking people live. At the same time, the fact that Teheran has decided to make changes in the national school program means that the Iranian administration would like to be more open with the European Union. In practice, the novelty is supposed to increase the amount of European tourists coming to Iran. Moscow has received an important signal that says that Teheran considers Russia as a friendly nation for a long period of time, rather than for a period of joint economic projects.

Yatseniuk Denied Tymoshenko Jail Meeting

KIEV, Ukraine -- Ukraine’s opposition groups on Tuesday suffered another setback in their unification efforts ahead of October’s election after the authorities refused to let Arseniy Yatseniuk visit Yulia Tymoshenko in jail to finalize their unification deal. Yatseniuk, Ukraine’s second-most popular opposition figure, is expected to lead the united opposition party for the election, but the deal must be approved by the jailed former prime minister. The unification is seen by many as a crucial step for defeating President Viktor Yanukovych;s Regions Party to begin dismantling his policy that opposition figures claim has led to restricting democracy. The refusal by the authorities to allow the meeting between Yatseniuk and Tymoshenko was “politically motivated” and aimed at “disrupting the process of unification of the opposition groups,” Yatseniuk's Front for Changes party said in a statement Tuesday. The Prosecutor General;s Office denied any politically motivated moves, adding it was not authorized to issue such permission. It is the State Prison Authority that should be asked to arrange the meeting, the prosecutor’s office said. The development is another setback for the opposition groups after they had failed to formally declare unification at a meeting of Tymoshenko’s Batkivshchyna party in Kiev on March 31. Instead, the opposition groups planned to reach a formal agreement within the first three weeks of April, and to formally declare the unification no later than the end of April. Tymoshenko, from her jail cell in Kharkiv region, has repeatedly urged the opposition groups to reach the deal as soon as possible to have enough time to run the election campaign. The agreement discussed between Batkivshchyna and the Front for Changes apparently calls for Yatseniuk to lead Tymoshenko’s party for the election, people familiar with the discussions said. Yatseniuk and his allies are supposed to control 45% of seats in Batkivshchyna, with the remaining 55% to be controlled by Tymoshenko’s allies. The two parties, jointly with smaller opposition groups, are also supposed to agree on 225 candidates that will run against pro-government candidates in majority districts across Ukraine. Half of Ukrainian 450-seat Parliament will be elected on party lists and half in individual constituencies. The bone of contention in the discussion between Yatseniuk and the Batkivshchyna party is who will run against incumbent Yanukovych at the presidential election in March 2015. Batkivshchyna sees Tymoshenko as the candidate, while Yatseniuk has insisted that the candidate must be selected based on opinion polls before the election to make sure the candidate beats Yanukovych. Yatseniuk on April 7 requested the Prosecutor General’s Office give permission to visit Tymoshenko on April 17 in the Kachanivska jail in the Kharkiv region. The request was declined on Tuesday.

Ukraine's Tymoshenko Refuses To Attend Opening Of New Trial

KIEV, Ukraine -- A new trial of former Ukrainian prime minister Yulia Tymoshenko, already serving a seven-year prison term on abuse-of-office charges, is set to open in her absence this week after the opposition leader refused to attend it citing poor health. The jailing last October of Tymoshenko, the fiercest foe of President Viktor Yanukovich, has soured Ukraine's ties with the European Union and the United States, which saw the case as an example of "selective justice". Despite Western pressure for her release, Ukrainian prosecutors have charged her with tax evasion and are also investigating what they say is her possible involvement in the 1996 contract killing of an influential businessman and parliament deputy. Preliminary hearings will start on April 19 in Tymoshenko's trial on tax evasion and attempted theft charges related to her activities as the head of a major gas trading company in the 1990s. In an official statement published by the state prison service on Wednesday, Tymoshenko, who had earlier denied any wrongdoing, refused to attend the opening hearing. "...I am asking (the court) to hold the preliminary hearing in my absence due to my poor health," Tymoshenko said. Tymoshenko, 51, has been suffering from back pains for months, her family and lawyers say, and has been unable to walk at times. The authorities have proposed to move her to a state hospital in the city of Kharkiv where her prison is located but Tymoshenko has sought the advice of a group of German doctors who are now in Ukraine to inspect the proposed facility. Ukrainian and German government officials meanwhile say their governments are in talks with a view to her possibly going to Germany for treatment, but it is not clear if Tymoshenko herself would agree to go. Tymoshenko was convicted in October of abusing her power as prime minister in forcing through a 2009 gas deal with Russia which, Yanukovich's government says, ran against national interests and made vital imports exorbitantly expensive. She dismissed the verdict as part of Yanukovich's personal vendetta. Tymoshenko gained international prominence as one of the leaders of the 2004 Orange Revolution which doomed Yanukovich's first bid for the presidency, after which she went on to serve twice as prime minister. But she lost the 2010 presidential election to Yanukovich and after his rise to power Tymoshenko and a number of her allies in opposition faced corruption-related charges in what she has described as a crackdown on opposition. Tymoshenko is challenging her initial conviction in the European Court for Human Rights. The European Union has warned Kiev that its member states will not ratify a milestone Ukraine-EU association agreement while she is in prison.

Ukraine, NATO To Continue Scrapping Ammo Under Partnership For Peace Program

KIEV, Ukraine -- Ukraine and NATO will continue cooperation in scrapping ammunition under the NATO Partnership for Peace Trust Fund project. A relevant framework agreement was signed between the Ukrainian Defense Ministry and the NATO Maintenance and Supply Agency (NAMSA) in Kiev on Tuesday, Interfax-Ukraine learned at the Defense Ministry's press service. According to the agreement, 76,000 tons of ammunition, 366,000 units of light weapons and small arms and three million antipersonnel mines are to be destroyed during the second stage of the implementation of the Partnership for Peace program. The project's estimated cost is EUR 25 million ($33 million). Its implementation will take some three to four years. Under the NATO Partnership for Peace Trust Fund project to destroy surplus weapons and ammunition in Ukraine, 133,000 tonnes of ammunition and 1.5 million units of light weapons and small arms are to be scrapped in Ukraine, in four stages within twelve years. In 2006-2011, some 400,000 units of small arms and 15,000 tonnes of ammunition were destroyed during the first stage of the project's implementation.

Ukraine's Tymoshenko On Trial Again, West Warns Of Isolation

KHARKIV, Ukraine -- Ukraine's former prime minister Yulia Tymoshenko went on trial on Thursday and faces up to 12 more years in prison if convicted of fresh graft charges, in a case that once again drew harsh criticism from an attending Western human rights official. She refused to attend Thursday's hearing citing poor health. A key opponent of President Viktor Yanukovich, Tymoshenko was sentenced last October to seven years in prison for abusing her powers as prime minister. The case soured Ukraine's ties with the West which saw it as politically motivated. In the new trial, she is accused of tax evasion, fraud and attempted theft related to her work as the head of major gas trading company UES, now defunct, in the 1990s. Tymoshenko has denied any wrongdoing in both cases, dismissing them as part of a campaign of repression against the opposition by Yanukovich's government. "There is no doubt that the charges are politically motivated," Francois Zimeray, the French ambassador for human rights, told reporters after attending the hearing in the city of Kharkiv where Tymoshenko is in prison. The European Union has warned Ukraine that its members would not ratify key bilateral agreements on political association and free trade while Tymoshenko remains in prison. But Yanukovich has refused to intervene, indicating he could only pardon Tymoshenko once all trials against her are over. Ukrainian prosecutors are also investigating Tymoshenko over what they say was her possible involvement in the 1996 contract killing of a parliament deputy, a charge she also denies. Tymoshenko has appealed her first conviction in the European Court for Human Rights which has not delivered a verdict but has asked Ukraine to ensure she receives proper medical treatment. Tymoshenko, 51, has been suffering from back pain for months due to a herniated spinal disc, her lawyers and family say, and has trouble walking. Tymoshenko became famous as a leader of the 2004 Orange Revolution which doomed Yanukovich's first bid for presidency. She has since served twice as prime minister but lost the 2010 presidential vote to Yanukovich in a close race. After losing power, Tymoshenko and a number of her allies faced corruption-related charges in what she described as a crackdown on opposition and what the European Union said were examples of "selective justice". "This is very regrettable because we value highly our relations with Ukraine," Zimeray said. "Such cases push the country into isolation."

Ukraine To Demolish Soviet WW2 Memorial

KIEV, Ukraine -- Authorities in the western Ukrainian city of Turka have decided to dismantle a WWII monument, relocating a mass grave where 43 Soviet soldiers are buried. Explaining the initiative, the city council said it is planning to “streamline” Turka’s central square. The decision was supported by 24 out of 30 local legislators, with only one deputy voting against the idea. The Ukrainian WWII Veterans’ organization is going to appeal the decision at the Prosecutor General’s office. “Living in the country and spitting at its history is, at the very least, a display of disrespect towards one’s fathers and grandfathers,” the body’s chair, Communist MP Pyotr Tsybenko told RIA Novosti. According to deputy chairman of the Antifascist Committee of Ukraine Alexander Kalynyuk, the Turka council’s decision violates the law on the Immortalization of the Victory in the Great Patriotic War of 1941—1945. “Ukrainian nationalists strongly criticize the elimination of monuments to [members of the Ukrainian Insurgent Army] in Ukraine or neighboring Poland,” he said, as cited by Itar-Tass. Whenever that happens, “they immediately recall the 1949 Geneva Convention,” which obliges states not to allow any violation of soldiers’ graves. In 2008, authorities in Komarno – another town in Western Ukraine’s Lvov (Lviv) region – decided to relocate a Soviet soldiers’ grave from a park to the cemetery, and demolished the monument erected above the burial place.

Protestors Flock To Tymoshenko’s Prison

KIEV, Ukraine -- Some 10,000 protesters are expected to turn out Thursday in Kharkiv in front of the prison where opposition leader Yulia Tymoshenko is serving a seven-year sentence, the Batkivshchyna party announced Wednesday. The protesters, organized by Tymoshenko’s Batkivshchyna, have been flocking to Kharkiv from across Ukraine, but mostly from western regions of the country that remain her stronghold. The massive rally is supposed to show support for the jailed political leader and also to put pressure on the authorities, accused by opposition figures of trying to disrupt unification process among opposition parties. The Kharkiv local council, which is dominated by President Viktor Yanukovych’s Regions Party, said Wednesday it will seek to ban the rally. Council officials argued the rally may cause problems for Kharkiv commuters. Meanwhile, Arseniy Yatseniuk, the most popular opposition leader after Tymoshenko, and who is expected to lead the united opposition party for October’s elections, on Wednesday was again denied a meeting with Tymoshenko in jail. Tymoshenko must give her final approval to the unification deal that will put Yatseniuk at the top of the Batkivshchyna party, a plan that opposition figures believe would help to defeat President Viktor Yanukovych’s Regions Party in October. Ivan Pervushkin, the chief of the Kachanivska prison, said the meeting between Yatseniuk and Tymoshenko was denied because Tymoshenko’s had not been able to walk to a special meeting room. “So, the meeting will most likely not be allowed,” Pervushkin told reporters. “Everything is done in accordance with the law.” Yatseniuk first requested the meeting on April 7 by sending a special paper to the Prosecutor General’s Office, which on April 17 had replied it had no authority of arranging such meetings. The prosecutors said Yatseniuk should ask the State Prison Authority instead. Yatseniuk accused the authorities of trying to “disrupt” the unification of the opposition groups, and said he will continue to seek the meeting with Tymoshenko. Tymoshenko has repeatedly urged the opposition groups to unite as soon as possible to have enough time to prepare for October’s elections. The unification plan, which would have the two largest opposition parties, Batkivshchyna and the Front for Changes, merged into one group, was originally expected to be announced on March 31, but was postponed for at least a month. The deal discussed between Batkivshchyna and the Front for Changes calls for Yatseniuk to lead the Batkivshchyna party, and for him and his allies to control 45% of seats in the party, people familiar with discussions said. Tymoshenko and her allies would control 55%, the people said. The two parties, jointly with other opposition groups, are also supposed to agree on 225 candidates that will run against pro-government candidates in majority districts across Ukraine. Half of Ukrainian 450-seat Parliament will be elected on party lists and half in individual constituencies.

Ukraine Offers Help In NATO Afghan Pullout

KIEV, Ukraine -- Ukraine has offered NATO its air transport capability to help the alliance withdraw its troops from Afghanistan. According to NATO plans, most of the 130,000 foreign troops must leave Afghanistan by the end of 2014, while the Afghan army and security forces are gradually taking over control of security in the war-torn country. "We have offered capabilities of our transport aircraft fleet, which has been working with NATO for a long time, to assist in the transportation of troops and military equipment from Afghanistan during the withdrawal period," said Ukrainian Foreign Minister Kostyantyn Hryshchenko. Ukrainian heavy-lift transport aircraft Antonov An-124-100 are favourites at a new NATO tender for the fulfillment of strategic air transportation under the SALIS (Strategic Airlift Interim Solution) programme. Ukrainian state company Antonov and Russian group Volga-Dnepr submitted in the beginning of April a joint application for the tender. Up to six An-124-100s of the united fleet of Antonov and Volga-Dnepr have been involved in strategic air transportation in the interests of 18 NATO countries under a contract signed in 2006. Since March 2006, An-124-100s have performed more than 2,100 flights under the SALIS programme, carrying more than 120,000 tonnes of military and civilian cargoes around the world.

Ukraine Helps Russia Fulfill Its Gas Supply Obligations To The EU

KIEV, Ukraine -- Upon Gazprom's request Ukraine increased its daily transit capacity of Russian gas to the EU by 17.3 million cubic meters or about 7 percent, reported the Ukrainian state gas pipelines and gas depots operator - Ukrtransgas. The request is associated with temporary repairs at the Russian North Stream gas pipeline. Experts suggest that this is to confirm the importance of Ukrainian gas transport system (GTS) for Russia. The capacity of Ukrainian gas transporting system amounts to 110 billion cubic meters per annum. Comparatively, the planned capacity of the Russian alternative to Ukrainian GTS - North Stream (NS) pipeline is up to 30 billion cubic meters per year. Up until now, though, NS has been operating at 30 percent capacity being able to transfer 27 million cubic meters per day which amounts to less than 10 billion annually. Russia launched the North Stream gas pipeline on November 8, 2011 and managed to pump through mere 3 billion cubic meters of gas up in about five months when it closed down the pipeline for the planned two-week repairs and maintenance. Gazprom informed its European partners that the closedown was necessary to tune up the control system, which will unite both branches of the gas pipeline in the future. Ukrainian GTS remains an important part of the European energy supply system, said Serhiy Diachenko, leading energy expert of the Ukrainian think-tank Razumkov Centre. Earlier, Gazprom together with the Russian government officials repeatedly claimed that launching alternative gas pipelines to the Ukrainian ones, particularly the North Stream and South Stream, will decrease Russia's dependence on Ukrainian GTS to almost zero. Until recently, Russia has been transferring up to 80 percent of its gas to the European consumers through Ukraine. In 2011 Ukraine declared its intention to import less Russian gas because of the steep price, which resulted in Russia exploring alternative gas transit opportunities and reducing gas transfer through Ukraine. As of the end of March 2012, Russia decreased the volume of gas transiting Ukraine by 50 percent, reported Ukrainian national oil and gas giant Naftogaz. This could be the consequence of the subsiding interest of European consumers in the Russian gas, whose demand just in March fell 23 percent, reported Ukrainian officials.

Ukraine Offer Cut-Price Airfare

KIEV, Ukraine -- Ukrainian officials are hoping a low-cost airfare deal will put pressure on hotels to reduce rates for this year's Euro 2012 championships after UEFA raised fears about overpricing, local media reported on Friday.
Ukraine and Poland will co-host the June 8-July 1 championship and some Ukrainian hotels have introduced 10-fold price hikes in the anticipation of an influx of relatively well-off foreign supporters.

UEFA president Michel Platini blasted local "bandits and swindlers" on a visit to Ukraine last week, claiming that such increases were unacceptable and could deter fans from visiting the former Soviet republic.

President Viktor Yanukovich ordered his government to resolve the issue this month and various state bodies have started reporting back with their findings.

Boris Kolesnikov, Deputy Prime Minister in charge of preparations for the finals, told reporters in the eastern city of Donetsk that the government would promote low-cost air travel to put pressure on hotels to reduce rates.

"We are finalising an agreement with Ryanair on its entry to the Ukrainian market and all fans will be able to compare the cost of flying in for every game with the cost of staying in Ukraine," Shakhtar Donetsk football club quoted him as saying on its website on Thursday.

Kolesnikov said three return flights from London to Donetsk for each of England's group games in Ukraine would cost a total of $900.

"I think this will cool the ardour of our hotels," he said.

Another official, Ukrainian Euro 2012 director Markian Lubkivsky, said there were thousands of rooms available to fans at all price levels.

"There are one, two and three-star hotels available to fans as well as university campuses and resorts," Ukrainian news website Zavtra quoted him as saying on Friday.

"We are ready to accommodate all fans."
eparately, Ukraine's state anti-trust committee said it was investigating hotel pricing at tournament venues in Kiev, Donetsk, Kharkiv and Lviv, Kommersant-Ukraine newspaper reported on Friday.

The cheapest Lviv hotel listed on UEFA's championship website for the Germany-Portugal match on June 9 charges 195 euros ($260) per night. For the Ukraine-Sweden match on June 11 in Kiev, offers start at 104 euros ($137).

A campsite set up 35-km (22 miles) from Kiev plans to charge 30 euros ($39) per night.

Russian reserve created for Amur leopard and tiger

The Russian government has announced a 1,000 square mile protected reserve to safeguard habitat for rare Amur leopards and Amur tigers.

The national park, dubbed Land of the Leopard, is in Russia's Far East.

The Wildlife Conservation Society (WCS) says it combines existing wildlife refuges and previously unprotected land along the Chinese border.

But one expert said it was "too little, way too late" to save the Critically Endangered leopard.

Conservation groups have commended Russia for the move.

WCS Russia's program director Dale Miquelle said he was "optimistic" that it would "provide a critical refuge for some of the most endangered big cats on the planet".

An estimated 30 Amur leopards occupy a narrow sliver of forest between the Sea of Japan to the east and Jilin Province, China, to the west.

In a wider area of forest habitat, about 500 Amur tigers are thought to remain in the wild.

Joerns Fickel, from the Institute for Zoo and Wildlife Research in Berlin, Germany, who has studied both the Amur leopard and Amur tiger said it was a "significant step in the right direction" but pointed out that safeguarding such a large area from poachers would be difficult.

"Regarding the tigers, he explained that prey density and cover were the "two main components to secure [their] survival".

"[It is not clear whether] this has been considered and if the park size provides space for at least a moderate population growth.

"For the leopards - where we don't even know how many of the last ones are still reproducing - but the situation is very gloomy."

The WCS pointed out that tigers regularly moved across the border into China, and the reserves' proximity to that border represented "a critical source population for recovery of tigers in North-East China".

WWF agreed that this "connection across the border" was crucial.

The conservation organisation's head of species, Diane Walkington, said: "Hopefully, by providing leopards with protected space to live, hunt and breed they will start to make a similar recovery to the Amur tiger, which is still endangered but has made a spectacular comeback since the 1930s when as few as 20 were left."

Peter Zahler, WCS deputy director for Asia said in a statement: "The creation of this park greatly increases the amount of land protecting critical populations of two of the world's big cats, and it will go a long way to securing their future.

"We look forward to continuing to provide whatever support is requested to help conserve tigers and leopards in the region."

Dr Fickel was less optimistic.

"It's better than nothing, and maybe for the tiger, it is not totally too late,"

"[But] for the leopards, hope dies last."

Authorities mull exit tax for leaving Russia

Travelers might soon be obliged to pay to leave Russia as officials are considering a new exit tax for international passengers.
The levy is needed to boost domestic flight demand which would be freed of the value added tax, according to the proposal submitted by the Transport Ministry.
Ticket prices for international routes might rise by up to 1,000 rubles, but experts are dubious as to whether flying within the country’s borders will become cheaper.
Zero VAT on domestic flights could leave the budget without annual 32 billion rubles, but transport officials want travelers to plug that hole.
Exit taxes for international flights have been proposed “from national airports for all commercial flights regardless of the carriers’ national identity.
The document has been submitted to the Finance Ministry, which has yet to announce its decision.

Permanent Seliger youth base planned for monastery grounds

Pro-Kremlin youth might soon start "camping" at Lake Seliger all year round, as the specially protected grounds of a local monastery are expected to be handed over to the Federal Youth Agency.
A letter to the governor of the Tver region, where the agency has been holding its annual summer forum since 2000, has been endorsed by Sports, Tourism and Youth Policy Minister Vitaly Mutko.
"The camp is developing, they want to tidy it up and stop living in tents,"
Hordes of young people have been descending on Lake Seliger's vicinity since 2000. And their numbers grew dramatically after gatherings of Kremlin-supporters from the Nashi and Idushchiye Vmeste movements were transformed into the All-Russian Educational Forum in 2009.
But camp-like gathering are soon to become history, as permanent facilities might be erected on an 18.76 hectare site, which was previously owned by the Nilov-Stolbensky Monastery, sources at the regional administration and the Sports Ministry told Izvestia.
Construction, which is expected to start in 2013 if not earlier, would cost just 125 million rubles. No information about the development project has been revealed so far but the funding seems to be rather modest, given that 200 million roubles have been allocated from the state budget for this year's forum.
The news about the looming construction has caused a stir in the region. "Local residents have become worried about the situation. That's why we've asked officials to give us with a clear answer about the monastery's lands," A Just Russia Duma Deputy Alexei Chepa,said. Chepa is drawing up a request to official bodies to check the legal grounds of the project.
The representatives of the monastery, however, don't seem to have a shared opinion on the matter. "We know nothing about it. Officially we haven't given the lands away," Father Pyotr, the monastery's spokesman told.
The head of the monastery, Father Arkady, told Izvestia that the territory could be passed to another owner.
"I have no concerns about it. I've always supported [the Seliger forum]. We've agreed to transfer the lands," he said.
Chepa was suspicious about the monks' position. "They are far from the political background of the story, in the first place. And secondly, it's likely that they have been pressured by the local authorities,"

Avtovaz to stop making Lada Riva AKA the Semyorka

Russia’s biggest car-maker plans to stop making the classic Lada Riva, after demand fell by 76 percent compared to last year.
“It’s all going according to plan,” Avtovaz communications director Igor Burenkov was quoted as saying. “Demand for the classics fell significantly. It is time to say goodbye.”
The car-maker did not say when the last Lada 2107 will roll off the conveyor belt, but added that newer models Lada Kalina, Lada Priora and Lada Granta had become more popular.
The Izhavto plant in Udmurtia will be reorganized to make the newer models instead of the Riva. Work on taking it off the production line will begin next week.
Lada Riva was exported into Western European markets, and became a target of numerous jokes for its poor quality.

Siberian village devastated by wildfire inferno

Twenty out of 35 houses were consumed by flames in the Russian village of Bayan-Bulak on Thursday night.
The steppe fire roared into the village, located 200 km from Chita, at 9 pm local time on Thursday due to strong winds. The fire took more than 12 hours to extinguish.
All 60 residents were evacuated to the neighboring village Tsokto-Khangil, where they were placed in a school and a cultural center. One woman broke her leg during the evacuation.
An investigation was opened on the accidental destruction of property.
Zabaikalsky region authorities promised to start reconstruction in May.
“It is necessary to sort out the issue of housing construction with everyone personally and start building no later than May. It is also necessary to tally the damage and process all the documents. We plan to open a charity account, organize a collection of clothes and money. We will build the houses. We will not leave anyone in strife,” said the spokesperson for Zabaikalsky Governor Ravil Geniatulin.
He promised Prime Minister Vladimir Putin that people would be able to move into their new houses by the start of heating season in autumn.
The governor visited the devastated village on Friday and held a special meeting with the local council.
Those whose houses burned down will be allocated money for immediate needs and provided with assistance in restoring their documents.
There is a storm warning in the region, and the steppe fire could strike other villages. More than 100 people and 26 fire-fighting units are battling the flames. Thousands of hectares of forest are on fire in Siberia in 34 locations.
Russian forest authorities will also send 200 fire-fighting paratroopers from the Moscow region, Karelia and Krasnoyarsk region.
The region is in the state of emergency because of dry weather with high winds and numerous fires. Grass burning is thought to be the cause of many fires. The authorities banned it, but locals still use it to remove old grass on hayfields and pastures.
Russia is plagued by wildfires every year. In 2010, burning peat bogs near Moscow covered the city in thick smoke, forcing many residents to flee the city.