By John Helmer, Moscow When it comes to transparency of corporate practice and accountability for the spending of state money, Alrosa, the Russian state diamond monopoly, isn’t famous. But one thing is finally clear – Finance Minister Alexei Kudrin has at long last gotten his wish to be relieved from having to serve as chairman […]

by John Helmer - Tuesday, April 12th, 2011
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By John Helmer, Moscow The primaries for the Russian presidential campaign have already begun, and there are three contenders – Igor Sechin, Dmitry Kozak, and Dmitry Medvedev. Vladimir Putin isn’t a contender – he is the convention with all the votes; he makes the choice.

by John Helmer - Monday, April 11th, 2011
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By John Helmer, Moscow In the game of cricket, nothing is rarer than a hat-trick. That is when the bowler for one side dismisses three batsmen for the opposing side in three successive balls. For the bowling side, it is a rare triumph, and almost never happens in international test games. For the batting side, […]

by John Helmer - Friday, April 8th, 2011
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By John Helmer, Moscow It’s nearly time for the peonies to bloom in China. But not for Oleg Deripaska’s plantings, at least not this season. According to sources at Deripaska’s electricity company, Eurosibenergo, the Chinese government has so far refused to approve the investment of state-controlled funds by China Yangtze Power Company (CYPC) in Eurosibenergo, […]

by John Helmer - Thursday, April 7th, 2011
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By John Helmer, Moscow One man’s poison is another man’s meat – so long as he chews carefully and doesn’t swallow. What’s been bad for Japan’s steel industry has accordingly been not so bad — you might say good — for the China market, and those who supply it with what it must have — […]

by John Helmer - Wednesday, April 6th, 2011
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By John Helmer, Moscow When we last put down the telephone to Maxim Finsky’s office at Intergeo in Moscow, he wasn’t saying much of anything about his attempt to persuade Canadian shareholders to accept his proposed merger of two junior goldminers he controls, White Tiger Gold and Century Mining.

by John Helmer - Tuesday, April 5th, 2011
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By John Helmer, Moscow The Russian government has issued a new order listing the state shareholdings to be privatized this year and next. Order No. № 513-p, signed on March 24, omits Sovcomflot from the privatization list, thus barring the sale of the shipping company’s shares: (Order No. 513p).

by John Helmer - Friday, April 1st, 2011
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United Company Rusal has awarded John Helmer the highest honour it can bestow — its fear of what he writes. The award is the first ever by the Russian corporation and state aluminium monopoly to a journalist specializing in the coverage of Russian metal, mineral and mining affairs.

by John Helmer - Friday, April 1st, 2011
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By John Helmer, Moscow Are they real teeth in the tiger’s mouth, or are they falsies? This is the question which shareholders of two Canadian-listed junior goldmining companies have been asking since the two companies, both apparently controlled by Russian mining entrepreneur Maxim Finsky (image), proposed an all-share merger on the basis of valuation of […]

by John Helmer - Thursday, March 31st, 2011
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By John Helmer, Moscow Russia’s price watchdog, the Federal Antimonopoly Service (FAS), plans soon to impose a hefty fine on the Evraz group’s lead mill at Nizhne Tagil (NTMK) for rigging the prices of steel profiles or sections in violation of the law on competition and non-discriminatory pricing. Maxim Ovchinnikov, head of the FAS industry […]

by John Helmer - Wednesday, March 30th, 2011
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