Kommersant: the MDM former partners Sergei Popov and Andrei Melnichenko

MDM former partners Sergei Popov and Andrei Melnichenko have launched a final division of their business. Control over their last joint asset - the Siberian Coal Energy Company (SUEK) - evaluated at $7 billion-$8 billion -- will soon pass to the structures of Andrei Melnichenko. Rosneft's first project to attract a foreign partner for developing the Russian shelf may be foiled. Rosneft and American Chevron that last summer came to an agreement to jointly develop Val Shatsky are unable to regulate the details of agreement. Besides that, the preliminary data of seismological surveying also put under question the project's commercial prospects. The sides will make a final decision at the negotiations in Moscow on March 26. Dmitry Medvedev and Vladimir Putin exchanged their tough statements concerning the situation around Libya. Kommersant comments on their statements, saying that experts assess them as the sharpest dialogue between the tandem participants since its creation in 2008. Dmitry Medvedev visited the OMON base in Shcholkovo to inspect the fighting Omon efficiency. Kommersant describes the president's positive impressions, saying what he promised them.
Prime Minister Vladimir Putin on Monday arrived in Votkinsk to inspect the work plant producing rockets and other special hardware of supreme intention. Besides that, the prime minister harshly assessed the work of world community to solve the problems of Libya. Kommersant examines his assessments. Activists from the public association "The Piratic Party of Russia" applied to the Moscow Zamoskvoretsky District Court with a demand to recognize the justice Ministry's refusal to register the party as illegal. The Transportation Ministry has calculated that the revenue of Avtodor state-controlled corporation by 2015 should increase by over 153 times as compared with 2010: from 117.8 million rubles up to 18.072 billion rubles. The company's bonus for managing the federal highways and also the volume of means allocated for their overhaul and maintenance should increase by similar times. The Natural Environment Ministry by the end of this month should submit to the gvt the Fundamentals of Ecological Policy up to 2030. Kommersant examines the document, saying how the Economic Development Ministry has assessed it and why the Finance Ministry has opposed one of its main provisions. The military operation against the regime of Libyan leader Muammar Gaddafi is snowballing. The coalition's forces on Monday bombed places where Gaddafi can stay, particularly his residence in Tripoli .The Libyan authorities see it as a proof that the aim operation is the liquidation of Libyan leader. The USA rejects this fact , but its allies acknowledge it. And it is not the only difference in the coalition : its participants are unable to come to an agreement who should head the operation and what its result will be.
In Kommersant interview US Defense Secretary Robert Gates, who on Monday began his visit to Russia and who today will conduct talks with President Dmitry Medvedev and Defense Minister Anatoly Serdyukov, speaks about American-Russian relations, saying what he expects from his visit. Atomredmetzoloto (APMZ) after the accident in Fukushima-1 managed to beat down the price of the Australian uranium-extracting Mantra Resources company by only 12.3 percent ( part of the money to shareholders will be paid out by the company itself)-- this is still by 30 percent higher than the market price. Russia's second large retail - VTB 24 came up against a large-scale failure of the IT-system, which started in the morning and during the day affected all departments in Moscow. The second large none-state pension fund (NPF) "Blagosostoyaniye", the founders of which are the structures of Russian Railways( RZD) has run up against difficulties in withdrawing pension reserves from the managing company "Industrial Traditions". The company has invested 14 billion rubles belonging to NPF, which is over 10 percent of the volume of all pension reserves. The natural cataclysms in Japan continue to change plans for the development fuel- energy complex. In view of this, Russia may revive its old idea of building an energy cable to Japan. Today its cost is estimated at almost $5 billion. Russia up to now has not realized any such projects though they have been considered more than once. South Korean Lotte Group after meeting with Moscow Mayor Sergei Sobyanin in Seoul returned to the idea of building an amusement park - Lotte World - in Moscow , an analogue of Disneyland. Now Lotte Group is seeking a land plot for the park, the cost of which is estimated at $400 million. The users of the Internet-messenger QIP starting today will be able to connect with participants in the social network Facebook without leaving QIP. Kommersant says.