Russian Billionaire's Ex-Wife Seeks to Invalidate Marriage Agreement

The ex-wife of Arkady Rotenberg, who is widely viewed as one of Russia’s most influential businessmen, challenged the validity of their prenuptial agreement in Moscow’s Tushinsky District Court, and may be entitled to a substantial portion of the businessman’s wealth, his lawyer Philipp Ryabchenko told RAPSI Friday. Rotenberg divorced his wife Natalia last April, and now she challenges the validity of a prenuptial agreement. If her claim were to be granted she may be entitled to half of the wealth Rotenberg has accrued since they got together, according to Ryabchenko. According to his profile on Forbes’ list of billionaires, Rotenberg’s net worth is valued at approximately $3.3 billion, as of March 2013.

http://www.rapsinews.com/judicial_news/20130816/268576384.html

Russia Launches Customs War against Ukraine

Russia’s Federal Customs Service has tightened control of freight traffic from Ukraine. Ukrainian businesses complain Russia effectively blocked all Ukrainian imports. Experts say the move is part of Russia’s strong-arm tactics to force Ukraine to join the Moscow-led Customs Union, and represents the start of a full-on trade war.

http://www.kommersant.ru/doc/2255562
http://en.ria.ru/papers/20130815/182776946/Russian-Press-at-a-Glance-Thursday-August-15-2013.html

Rosneft Loses Case in Amsterdam over Yukos Loan

The District court of Amsterdam has ruled that Rosneft, Russia's largest state oil company, must pay 2,53 billion rubles ($76,6 million) to Glendale Group Ltd., the PRIME business news agency reported on Wednesday. Glendale Group Limited ("Glendale"), formerly one of Yukos affiliates, held promissory notes issued by former YUKOS subsidiary Yuganskneftegaz in 2003. After Rosneft bought control of Yuganskneftegaz in 2004, it had to pay the Promissory Notes. When Glendale requested Rosneft to pay its debt under the Promissory Notes, Rosneft refused. Gelndale sued and won.

http://www.rapsinews.com/judicial_news/20130814/268548426.html

US Court Refuses to Dismiss Sea Launch Case

KB Yuzhnoye and PO Yuzhnoye Mashinostroitelny Zavod (Yuzhnoye) have failed in their efforts to dismiss a claim filed against them in US federal court by Boeing and Boeing Commercial Space Company (BCSC) over the Sea Launch project, according to court documents obtained by RAPSI. Yuzhnoye had moved to stay or dismiss, alleging insufficient service of process, breach of an agreement under the Colorado River doctrine, and forum non conveniens. In February 1996, BCSC agreed to lend $183 million to Sea Launch based on the agreements by Yuzhnoye and Energia to guarantee repayment in the amount of their percentage of ownership if Sea Launch were to default on the loan, according to the order. Sea Launch filed for bankruptcy in 2009. At that point, Boeing paid the guarantees and billed Yuzhnoye and Energia for their shares, which they in turn allegedly refused to reimburse.

http://www.rapsinews.com/judicial_news/20130814/268552056.html

Navalny Supporters Fined, 1 Jailed After 5-Hour Police Siege

Tensions in the run-up to the Moscow mayoral election mounted this week as police raided four supporters of leading opposition candidate Alexei Navalny in a five-hour operation, sawing through a steel door and confiscating two tons of allegedly illegal campaign leaflets. One of the four members of the grassroots group, “Navalny’s Brothers,” was taken into custody for 10 days, and three others got away with 1,000 ruble fines ($30) Wednesday on charges of disobeying a police order. The group recorded the raid and broadcast it live online. The crackdown was launched overnight on a complaint by rival candidate Nikolai Levichev, who said he had received a tip that campaign leaflets were being produced illegally in a rented apartment near downtown Moscow’s Chistoprudny Boulevard. Confusion reigned about whether the officers – who had no search warrant – had the right to be in the apartment. Police said during the raid that they thought the apartment was on fire, which in Russia is a valid pretext for trespassing without legal authorization, but an officer later claimed in court that the apartment’s owner had allowed them to enter.

http://en.ria.ru/politics/20130814/182771260/Navalny-Supporters-Fined-1-Jailed-After-5-Hour-Police-Siege.html

Moscow Irate Over Lithuania’s Extradition of Russian Man to US

Moscow is outraged by Lithuania’s decision to extradite a Russian national to the United States, Russia’s Foreign Ministry said Wednesday. Earlier in the day, Lithuania fulfilled a US request to extradite alleged arms dealer Dmitry Ustinov. Ustinov, 46, was detained at Vilnius Airport in Lithuania on April 15 after he arrived from the US to purportedly negotiate a deal to sell night-vision equipment used by the US military. “[We are] outraged by the fact that American special services and law enforcement agencies are still trying to legitimize the practice of arresting and detaining Russian nationals in third countries on frivolous grounds,” Konstantin Dolgov, the Foreign Ministry’s point man for human rights, said in a statement posted on the ministry’s website. Moscow will continue providing assistance to Ustinov to make sure his rights are upheld and help get him back to Russia as soon as possible, the statement said. On July 22, a Vilnius court ordered Dolgov to be extradited to the US, where he faces up to 20 years in prison if convicted on charges of money laundering and smuggling export-restricted military equipment. Ustinov, whose detention was based on an arrest warrant from the US state of Delaware, pleaded not guilty in court.

http://en.ria.ru/russia/20130814/182770783/Moscow-Irate-Over-Lithuanias-Extradition-of-Russian-Man-to-US.html

Henkel Pulls Toilet Freshener That Insulted Ukrainians

German consumer goods company Henkel has decided to pull a toilet freshener out of Ukraine after the country’s nationals said they were offended because the product resembled the Ukrainian national flag. The Bref Duo Stripes’ design included the blue and yellow colors. A TV ad showed the freshener placed under the toilet rim, but the company said the colors carried a totally different meaning. “We are sorry if people feel offended by the design of our new Bref Duo Stripes. The color blue, intended to stand for water and hygiene, and the yellow color for lemon scent are common for this type of products,” Henkel said on Facebook this week.

http://en.ria.ru/world/20130815/182776005/Henkel-Pulls-Toilet-Freshener-That-Insulted-Ukrainians.html

Moscow Police Storm Navalny Supporters' Apartment

Police in Moscow took by storm an apartment where several supporters of the Russian opposition’s mayoral candidate in Moscow, Alexey Navalny, were holed up. Apparently, the authorities suspected that the apartment was an “illegal campaign headquarter.” The police produced no search warrant. They used a sledgehammer and a chainsaw to break the door. The results of the search have not yet been officially announced.

http://www.kommersant.ru/doc/2254886 (video)
http://finrosforum.wordpress.com/2013/08/13/navalny-supporters-under-siege/comment-page-1/
http://navalny.livejournal.com/836824.html

Navalny Wants Acting Moscow Mayor Checked for Corruption

Mayoral candidate Alexei Navalny has asked the Investigative Committee to check whether his main rival in the Sept. 8 election, acting Moscow Mayor Sergei Sobyanin, and his elder daughter Anna are involved in corruption, he wrote in his LiveJournal blog Tuesday. Navalny posted copies of documents showing that Anna Sobyanina owns a high-end apartment with an estimated value of $3.5 million in downtown St. Petersburg and Forus Group, which supplies luxury furniture to government agencies. The news comes days after City Hall confirmed that Sobyanin's younger daughter, Olga, owns an apartment with an estimated value of $5.3 million in Moscow. Navalny has accused Sobyanin of illegally privatizing the apartment. "It is an amazing coincidence," Navalny said in his blog. "The talented daughter of government official Sobyanin has skilfully supplied furniture to places where her father Sergei Sobyanin held official positions."

http://www.themoscowtimes.com/news/article/navalny-wants-sobyanin-his-elder-daughter-checked-for-corruption/484535.html
http://navalny.livejournal.com/836448.html