PRESS DIGEST - RUSSIA - Sept 1
The following are some stories in Russia's newspapers on Friday. Reuters has not verified these stories and does not vouch for their accuracy.
VEDOMOSTI
www.vedomosti.ru
- The Kremlin is looking for a female candidate to become Vladimir Putin's "sparring partner" in the 2018 presidential election, the daily writes, citing its sources.
- Russia's Ministry of Culture is considering introducing a
5 million rouble ($86,051) tax on distributing foreign films in Russian cinemas. The measure will allow the ministry to collect some 1.5 billion roubles ($25.82 million) to support the domestic film industry, the daily reports.
- Mikhail Poluboyarinov, deputy head of Russian state development lender Vnesheconombank, was elected on Thursday to chair the board of directors of Russia's national air carrier Aeroflot.
- Vnesheconombank will give a loan to its subsidiary leasing company to finance Aeroflot's purchase of 20 SuperJet-100 airplanes, Poluboyarinov is quoted as saying.
KOMMERSANT
www.kommersant.ru
- Western sanctions imposed on Moscow have seriously pushed Russia's military industry towards developing new technologies, the chief designer of Russia's early warning missile systems, Sergei Boyev, says in a interview.
- Russia's natural resources ministry has urged the prosecutor general's office to check the legality of sales of forests of Sochi natural reserves for logging by the regional authorities of Krasnodar.
- Russia's largest titanium producer VSMPO-AVISMA is still considering plans to invest in the U.S. industry but has no intention to build a company there as big as the one in Russia, VSMPO-AVISMA's head Mikhail Voevodin says in an interview.
- Russian lawmakers have vowed to retaliate for the U.S. decision to close a Russian consulate and two trade annexes in the United States. At the same time, Russia's ambassador to the United States Anatoly Antonov is quoted as warning against any "hysterical impulses".
RBC
www.rbc.ru
- The government has invested 242 billion roubles ($4.16 billion) in the agrarian sector this year, which is 19 billion roubles ($326.99 million) more than last year, Agriculture Minister Alexander Tkachev says in an interview.
- Russia could produce 110 million tonnes of grain this year, Tkachev says, adding that 20-30 percent of the sown areas have not yet been harvested and an upcoming chilly autumn could affect the crop.
IZVESTIA
www.izvestia.ru
- The presidents of Russia and Belarus plan to inspect joint military exercises, which are code named Zapad 2017 and are to be held from Sept. 14 to Sept. 20. The two leaders will visit one of the military ranges in Russia, the Kremlin is quoted as saying.
- Russian scientists will study the cause reason of the disappearance of salmon in the waters off the island of Sakhalin which could seriously boost market prices for the fish, the daily reports.
ROSSIISKAYA GAZETA
www.rg.ru
- Russia's Federal Security Service (FSB) has detained two people suspected of being members of Islamic State who were plotting to carry out attacks in Moscow and the Moscow region on Sept. 1. One of the suspects planned to attack civilians with cold arms while the other one intended to commit suicide bombing, the FSB said on Thursday. ($1 = 58.1050 roubles) (Reporting by Tatiana Ustinova)
