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On Saturday May 17 this site was attacked by a Russian, who left behind a trail of technical identifiers, and whose identity is known. The feedback confirms the accuracy and value of the materials posted on the site during the past week. We appreciate the backhanded acknowledgement.

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By John Helmer in Moscow Announcement from ADC suggests there is more value in the Grib pipe than De Beers report calculates. Archangel Diamond Corporation (ADC), the Toronto-listed junior diamond miner, headed by De Beers lawyer Jonathan Dickman, has trapped itself in an awkward contradiction over the value of its Russian asset, the Grib pipe […]

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By John Helmer in Moscow De Beers report heightens geotechnical and political challenges in Archangel diamond mining project. To adapt the old saw, a great many fresh girls are going to be obliged to make diamonds their best friends before Grib, Russia’s newest, and possibly largest, diamond pipe, can make enough profit to justify digging. […]

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By John Helmer in Moscow Fate of Rusal shareholding hinges on evidence in UK, Swiss and Israeli courts In what is shaping up as the most significant case against the Russian business oligarchy ever argued in an international court, Oleg Deripaska, Russia’s richest man, has told the UK High Court, in his defence, that he […]

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The document is available here.

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By John Helmer in Moscow Putin names his merry men, no change in the forest The list of the new Russian government ministers, released by Prime Minister Vladimir Putin this afternoon, preserves most senior officials in their place, and keeps the precarious balance of factions, which compete for and decide Russia’s major resource concessions, and […]

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By John Helmer in Moscow In the good old days, when intrepid Englishmen competed with Russians for commercial and military footholds in Central Asia, the object of their Great Game was to fill the local bazaars with English manufactured goods, and extract in exchange as much treasure as the locals could be gulled into giving […]

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The full text of the original French language document available here. The official English translation of the document available here.

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By John Helmer in Moscow Acron reports big jump in complex fertilizer revenue, but Uralkali tanks on potash nerves. Acron, Russia’s leading producer of complex fertilizers, has reported that in the first quarter to March 31, sales revenue reached $493 million; that is a jump of 72%, compared with the corresponding quarter of 2007. It […]