Syrian Rebels Kill "Russian General"

The Free Syrian Army (FSA) claimed responsibility on Wednesday for the killing of a "Russian general" in Syria who was working as a consultant to the Syrian defense minister and head of general staff of military affairs, it said in an announcement aired by Al Arabiya. FSA said the killing of the general, Vladmir Petrovic Kojaiv, along his private translator, Ahmed Aiq, was evidence that Russia was embroiled in the Syrian crisis. However, an unnamed Russian Defense Minister official said to RIA news agency that there was no such general in the Russian army. The source suggested this might be a retired officer or else an officer from another post-USSR country.

http://english.alarabiya.net/articles/2012/08/08/231005.html
http://ria.ru/arab_sy/20120808/718925350.html
http://youtu.be/96aMNq9olSY (video)

UPDATE: Retired General Kuzheyev denies being killed in Syria
http://www.kommersant.ru/doc/1997939
http://www.reuters.com/article/2012/08/08/us-syria-crisis-russia-general-idUSBRE8770HE20120808

Madonna Backs Pussy Riot

Madonna urged the release of the three members of Russian protest group Pussy Riot at a concert last night night, making her the highest-profile international star to come out in support of the feminist trio, who are on trial for carrying out a “punk prayer” in a Moscow cathedral. The U.S. singer told fans at Moscow’s Olimpiysky Stadium that Nadezhda Tolokonnikova, 22, Maria Alekhina, 24, and Yekaterina Samutsevich, 29, had acted bravely in performing the “prayer”, which called on the Virgin Mary to “drive out” President Vladimir Putin. Earlier in the day, a federal prosecutor had demanded Tolokonnikova, Alekhina and Samutsevich be jailed for three years for “abusing God” during the cathedral performance in February. The defendants were charged with "hooliganism motivated by religious hatred."

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldnews/europe/russia/9460580/Madonna-Pussy-Riot-have-done-something-courageous-and-deserve-freedom.html
http://www.echo.msk.ru/blog/echomsk/917160-echo/ (video)

Hungarian Natural Gas Trader Sale Dispute Reaches Moscow Commercial Court

Russian company Rosgaz is demanding that the decision of the International Commercial Arbitration Court at the Russian Chamber of Commerce and Industry (ICAC) which invalidated the sale of Hungaria's major gas trader Emfesz be nullified. The Moscow Commercial Court is set to hear the Rosgaz suit against Cyprus’ Mabofi Holdings Limited on September 18. According to the plaintiff, ICAC decision was rendered with procedural violations. The sale of Emfesz to Switzerland’s Rosgas A.G. for a symbolic price of $1 was completed in 2009. On March 15, ICAC found that the sale of the trader’s shares was illegal.

http://www.rapsinews.com/judicial_news/20120807/264145825.html

Navalny Finds Bugs in His Office

Russian opposition leader Aleksei Navalny says listening devices and even a video camera were found in his office in Moscow. The opposition blogger said after finding the "bug" in his office he telephoned police who found two microphones, a radio transmitter, a camera, and a battery to run the equipment. Navalny posted a video of what he claimed were some of the devices found in his office. It is not immediately clear who had installed the bug.

http://www.rferl.org/content/russia-opposition-leader-says-office-bugged/24668554.html
http://en.rian.ru/russia/20120806/175018968.html
http://navalny.livejournal.com/726374.html (video)

Expert Whose Findings Led to Pussy Riot Charges Won't Testify

Judge Marina Syrova on the sixth day of the Pussy Riot trial dismissed punk rock collective Pussy Riot’s motion to call to the stand an expert whose conclusions have served as the basis for charges against them. The defense submitted a motion to call Igor Ponkin to the stand on Monday. The expert's conclusions about the vulgarity of their protest in the Christ the Savior Cathedral have been used as the basis of charges against them. According to attorney Violetta Volkova, experts constantly say that the punk prayer was directed against Orthodox believers, but they do not provide any grounds for their conclusions about the protest's vulgarity.

http://www.rapsinews.com/judicial_news/20120806/264131846.html

Navalny's High-Profile Rosneft Lawsuit Dismissed

The Ninth Commercial Court of Appeals has upheld the Moscow Commercial Court’s decision dismissing Rosneft minority shareholder Alexei Navalny’s lawsuit over the production of company documents. Thus, the court has dismissed his appeal and the first instance court's ruling has come into effect. The dispute over whether Rosneft should provide Navalny with the meeting minutes has passed through courts in three instances and has continued for more than two years. Navalny filed the lawsuit because he believed the contracts were not on an arm's length basis.

http://www.rapsinews.com/judicial_news/20120806/264129385.html

Blogger Who Criticized Russian Orthodox Church Seeks Refuge in Estonia

Russian blogger Maxim Yefimov asked the Estonian authorities to grant him temporary political refuge. Earlier, a criminal case was opened against him for "inciting hatred and animosity against the clergy." In late July, Yefimov wrote in his LiveJournal blog that he has left Russia. The case against him was opened after he published his article, “Karelia Tired of Priests.” He wrote that anti-church moods were becoming stronger in Russian region Karelia’s capital due to the construction of Orthodox churches using budget funds.

http://www.rapsinews.com/news/20120806/264133023.html

Russia’s Supreme Court Orders Review of Khodorkovsky Conviction

Russia’s highest court on Tuesday ordered a review of the second conviction of jailed former oil tycoon Mikhail Khodorkovsky and his business partner Platon Lebedev, Dow Jones Newswires reported. The decision by Supreme Court Chairman Vyacheslav Lebedev overturned an earlier ruling in May by the same court that upheld their 2010 convictions for embezzlement and money laundering charges in a politically-tinged trial. The case heads back to the Moscow City Court for review.

http://blogs.wsj.com/corruption-currents/2012/07/24/russias-supreme-court-orders-review-of-khodorkovsky-conviction/

Anti-Putin Activist Navalny Faces 10 Years For Embezzlement

Russian opposition leader Alexey Navalny faces as much as 10 years in jail after being charged with embezzlement, marking an escalation in President Vladimir Putin’s crackdown on the biggest unrest of his 12-year rule. The Investigative Committee increased the severity of the charges against Navalny, accusing him of defrauding a state timber company of 16 million rubles ($496,000) in the Kirov region, the agency said on its website today. Navalny, 36, an anti-corruption activist who helped organize mass protests against Putin, previously risked a maximum sentence of five years for causing a 1.3 million-ruble loss to the firm. Navalny was barred from leaving Russia by investigators, who said that two more people linked to the case will soon be charged. The accusations are “astonishing,” Navalny said on his blog.

http://www.bloomberg.com/news/2012-07-31/anti-putin-leader-navalny-faces-10-years-on-embezzlement-charges.html