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Numbers Weaken
Genocide Claims
MOSCOW — Days after the fighting ended in South Ossetia, a huge question mark is hanging over the number of civilians who actually died. South Ossetian and Moscow officials estimated the number of Ossetian civilian casualties as being between 1,600 and over 2,100. Some human rights activists on the ground said, however, that they were struggling to find even 100 slain Ossetians, while other experts said it was still too early to compile an accurate count. In any case, it is looking increasingly unlikely that the death toll will be anywhere close to the numbers needed to support Moscow’s claim that Tbilisi had committed genocide. President Dmitry Medvedev and Prime Minister Vladimir Putin both accused the Georgian military of committing “genocide” when it invaded South Ossetia on Aug. 8 in an attempt to regain control over the pro-Moscow republic. Medvedev has also ordered the Investigative Committee ... |
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| Yelena Isinbayeva of Russia breaks the world record during the women’s pole vault final of the athletics competition in the National Stadium at the Beijing 2008 Olympic Games on Monday. Isinbayeva cleared 5.05 meters, beating the previous mark of 5.04 meters she had set last month. |
Russia Says Troop Withdrawal Has Begun
GORI, Georgia — Russia said its military began to withdraw from the conflict zone in Georgia on Monday, but left unclear exactly where troops and tanks ... |
Conscripts Take Commanders to Court Over Contracts
A group of drafted recruits serving at the military detachment No. 67661 at the Sapyorny settlement of the Priozersky district in the outskirts of St. Petersburg are gearing up for a court battle with their commanders after allegedly being forced to sign contracts to keep them in the army. Vladimir, one of the recruits serving in the detachment, said he and dozens of others have been getting such repeated requests over the past two weeks from senior officers. Vladimir, who requested anonymity due to the sensitive nature of the issue, has one month of compulsory military service left to serve. Ella Polyakova, the chairwoman of the St. Petersburg pressure group Soldiers’ Mothers, told The St. Petersburg Times that such practices — complete with threats and promises of non-existent benefits — are commonplace in the Russian army “Vladimir’s father told us that the officers have used both psychological intimidation ... |
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Kiev Ready For Missile Shield Talks
KIEV — Ukraine said Saturday that it was ready to make its missile-warning systems available for Western countries after Russia announced that it was pulling out of a long-term cooperation agreement involving them. A ministry statement said Russia’s abrogation ... |
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UN Court Sets Hearings for Georgia
AMSTERDAM — The president of the UN’s highest court issued an urgent appeal for restraint Friday until the tribunal meets next month to hear Georgia’s petition seeking a halt to Russian military actions against civilians. The International Court of Justice said it will hear arguments from both sides Sept. 8 to 10 at its seat in The Hague on Georgia’s request to intervene in its dispute with Russia over breakaway South Ossetia and Abkhazia. In an unusual measure, Judge Rosalyn Higgins sent a message to both countries asking them to act in the meantime in a way that would facilitate whatever decision the court reaches. Georgia filed a suit Wednesday that accused Russia of conducting a campaign of ethnic cleansing since the early 1990s. The next day, ... |
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| Participants in the Savior of the Honey Feast Day celebrations held in Tsarskoye Selo on Saturday walk past statues formed from brushwood and kindling which were later burnt to mark the event. |
Poland Warned Over Plans for Missile Base
MOSCOW — Russia warned Poland on Friday that it is exposing itself to attack — even a nuclear one — by accepting a U.S. missile interceptor base on its ... |
Zenit Soccer Team Rewards Top Supporter
A Zenit St. Petersburg fan who has attended a record 300 matches played by the soccer team has been rewarded for his loyalty with a life-long free ticket to Zenit’s home games. Denis Chiglyayev notched up his 300th Zenit match when the Premier League champions played Kazan on Aug. 10, Interfax reported. Before Zenit’s home tie with Shinnik on Sunday, Chiglyayev’s favorite player, Coatian defender Ivica Krizanac, congratulated the fan and presented him with the life-long free ticket. Zenit coach Dick Advokaat greeted Chiglyayev and hugged him. When the referee blew the whistle to start the game, fans in the stands at Petrovsky Stadium, formed the letter E and the numeral 2 sign with green flares, as well as the number 300. “E-2” is Chiglyayev’s ... |
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In Brief
Stallone Pushes Vodka MOSCOW (Reuters) — Hollywood actor Sylvester Stallone, mighty destroyer of Soviet opponents in the “Rambo” and “Rocky” movies, now plans to advertise Russian vodka. Russian vodka producer Synergy said on Friday it had signed ... |
 Conflict in Ossetia Exposes Obsolete Hardware
MOSCOW — The brief but intensive armed conflict in South Ossetia has signaled Russia’s willingness and ability to fight and win conflicts beyond its borders after years of focusing its war machine on nuclear deterrence and the suppression of internal ... |
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Petrovsky Arsenal Construction Under Way
 The official groundbreaking ceremony of the Petrovsky Arsenal development project took place on Friday in the suburb of Sestroretsk, 25 kilometers northwest ... |
Markets Survive Trio Of Tricky Financial Storms
MOSCOW — Russian markets endured a turbulent week, as stocks of major companies faced a triple assault amid worries over fighting in Georgia, anti-monopoly measures against Mechel and the seemingly never-ending TNK-BP saga. After the big Georgia-induced sell-off on Aug. 8, stocks enjoyed a shaky recovery after President Dmitry Medvedev signaled that Russian forces would observe a cease-fire and pull out of Georgia proper, despite media reports suggesting the contrary. The dollar-denominated RTS Index ended the week up 3.5 percent at 1,785.36 points, despite falling 0.6 ... |
In Brief
Apple Deal Rumors MOSCOW (Bloomberg) — VimpelCom, Russia’s second-largest mobile-phone company, and MegaFon, the third-biggest, may sign a deal with Apple to start selling iPhones in the country this week, Vedomosti reported Monday. As part of the agreement, Apple wants each operator to buy one million to 1.5 million iPhones, the newspaper said, citing unidentified people at the two companies. Lebedev Loses Out VIENNA (Bloomberg) — Russian billionaire Alexander Lebedev said his country’s conflict with Georgia is scaring investors and has caused him to lose ... |
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Georgian Bridge Blast Hits Oil Transit
 TBILISI, Georgia — Azerbaijan suspended oil exports through ports in western Georgia on Sunday after an explosion damaged a key rail bridge there. Georgia ... |
Kudrin Suggests Tax Hike, Funds Reform
MOSCOW — The Finance Ministry on Sunday unveiled a draft fiscal strategy to 2023, proposing to raise social security taxes from 2010 and reform the $162 billion oil wealth funds to back up the pension system. Under the proposal, the government’s oil revenues will be redistributed between the liquid Reserve Fund, designed to support the budget in case the oil price falls, and the National Welfare Fund, earmarked for riskier investment. The Reserve Fund will shrink to six percent of gross domestic product from the current 10 percent, with the cash going to the $33 billion welfare fund, ... |
Kazakhstan Government Reaches Out to Business
ALMATY — Kazakhstan’s small and medium-sized businesses will get 100 billion tenge ($830 million) in loans as the government seeks to bolster economic growth in its two biggest cities. State-owned Kazyna will provide 50 billion tenge ($415 million) for lending to businesses in Astana, the capital, and Almaty, Industry Minister Vladimir Shkolnik told a cabinet meeting in Astana on Monday. Another 50 billion tenge will come from commercial banks, according to a statement on the government’s web site. Kazakhstan’s $100 billion economy has grown an average 10 percent a year since 2000 ... |
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Telenor Told to Pay VimpelCom $2.8 Bln
MOSCOW — A Siberian court in the wee hours of Saturday morning ordered Norway’s telecoms company Telenor to pay $2.8 billion to VimpelCom in a ruling that highlighted the unusual judicial practices that may beset foreign investors. Telenor, whose larger partner in VimpelCom is Alfa Group’s telecoms arm, Altimo, said it would appeal the verdict of the Khanty-Mansiisk Arbitration Court, which ruled that the Norwegian firm stalled New York-listed VimpelCom’s $230 million deal to buy a Ukrainian mobile operator. The Norwegians complained that the choice of the court was puzzling, procedural irregularities abounded and the ... |
Prokhorov Villa Rumor Denied
 MOSCOW — An official at Mikhail Prokhorov’s Onexim Group denied Sunday that the billionaire was close to buying the legendary Villa Leopolda on the French ... |
Chemezov Seeks Partner
MOSCOW — Russian Technologies is considering Norilsk Nickel as a new partner in its consortium with Metalloinvest, which is bidding to develop the giant Udokan copper deposit, Sergei Chemezov, head of the state corporation, said Friday. The announcement comes after Norilsk chairman Vladimir Potanin said earlier this month that he was pulling the miner out of a solo bid for Udokan. But to team up with Russian Technologies, Norilsk would have to hand over all its other copper assets to the potential joint venture, Chemezov said. “If Norilsk Nickel’s board takes the decision to include all the copper mines that they have ... |
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Outflows Reach $7 Bln
MOSCOW — Russia had capital outflows of $7 billion during the short conflict between it and Georgia, Finance Minister Alexei Kudrin said Sunday. The conflict spooked investors and sent Russian stocks tumbling to their lowest levels in nearly two years. ... |
 Looking Back at Default Crisis, Ten Years On
MOSCOW — In mid-August 1998, Julia Levit was taking time off her job to bask in the Crimean sun in Feodossia. What saved her from making that vacation an extended one was a television set in her hotel room. As soon as she heard about the government debt ... |
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 U.S. Responsibility for the Georgian Crisis
The bloody conflict over South Ossetia will at least have been good for something if it teaches two lessons. The first is that now Georgia will never get South Ossetia and Abkhazia back. The second is that the West must not make promises that it neither ... |
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Gulliver’s Battles
To Our Readers Late Thursday night, after destroying as much of Tskhinvali as it could with truck-mounted missiles, the Georgian military took control of the city. When giving the command to start the war, it would seem that Georgian President Mikheil ... |
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Pervez Musharraf Quits as Pakistan President
 ISLAMABAD — Faced with the humiliation of impeachment, former army chief Pervez Musharraf quit as Pakistan president on Monday, having lost political, ... |
Muslim Rebels Go On Rampage in Philippines
MANILA, Philippines — Muslim rebels attacked several southern coastal townships Monday, killing a local official and burning houses in a sharp escalation of fighting amid uncertainty over a fragile peace process, officials said. Regional military spokesman Major Armand Rico said the towns of Kulambugan and Kauswagan in Lanao del Norte province came under attack early Monday from renegade forces of the Moro Islamic Liberation Front. He said the rebels executed the leader of Libertad village in Kauswagan town. Government troops in armored vehicles fought the rebels in efforts to push them ... |
Clock Ticking on Vice Presidential Choice
WASHINGTON — A string of potential vice presidential candidates were queried on Sunday about the possibility of being picked for the No. 2 spot but all remained mum on their chances. One, Louisiana Republican Governor Bobby Jindal, flatly said he did not want the job. “I’ve got the job that I want,” Jindal said on NBC’s “Meet the Press.” “I don’t want to be the vice president. I am not going to be the nominee.” Time was running out for both presumptive presidential candidates, Democrat Barack Obama and Republican John McCain. Democrats begin their national convention in Denver on August ... |
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Soap Opera Seeks Iraq Veteran For New Role
LOS ANGELES — An open casting call for “All My Children” is far from business as usual: the soap opera is seeking an Iraq war veteran to play an injured solider. The ABC daytime show has created a romantic storyline to combine entertainment and a window ... |
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 Superstar Phelps Triumphs With 8 Golds
BEIJING — Michael Phelps got what he came for, capping the greatest Olympics for an individual athlete by winning his eighth gold medal in Beijing and 14th of his career. Things didn’t work out anywhere near as well for China’s Liu Xiang. Liu, the reigning ... |
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Arshavin Move In Doubt
LONDON — Zenit St Petersburg striker Andrei Arshavin’s move to Premier League side Tottenham has stalled, the player’s agent claimed on Sunday. Spurs were expected to use the funds from Dimitar Berbatov’s move to Manchester United to land the Russian ... |
