The increase in the real gross domestic product in the Russian Federation will be 4.7 percent over the course of 2010. The increase will be fueled mostly by exports. Reduced demand around the world will in the medium term reflect negatively on the health of the Russian economy.

 Russian mobile operator Mobile TeleSystems has outsourced the daily operation and maintenance of its entire mobile network across central Russia to Nokia Siemens Network as part of a five-year managed services deal.

Opportunities in the Russian construction market remain considerable, and the future of the market looks bright.

Although Russia’s chemical sector has been hit by the global economic downturn and falling oil prices, in the longer term, its advantaged feedstock position should ensure healthy growth prospects.

The main type of fuel used in Russia is natural gas. In 2009, the share of gas in the Russian energy equation was 56.2 percent. Oil accounted for only 18.3 percent of the country’s energy consumption, coal for 14.4 percent, nuclear energy for 5.3 percent, and hydropower for 5.6 percent.  

The net profits of the company Buryatzoloto in the first quarter of 2010 was RUR 406.7 million, representing an increase of 70 percent compared to the previous quarter. In the last quarter of 2009, the company incurred RUR 311.6 million in losses.

In April of 2010, ConocoPhillips sold 4.644 million shares of Lukoil at a total price of USD 274 million. At the end of March, the American company owned 851 million shares of Lukoil. A month later, the company’s share of ownership of Lukoil decreased to 19.89 percent.

Rosneft showed a profit of RUR 51.25 billion in quarter one, 2010 in accordance with Russian accounting standards. These figures represent major improvements compared to the previous year. In the first quarter of 2009, the company posted losses of RUR 5.77 billion.

Russian officials entered into an international agreement designed to impose regulatory measures to combat unreported and unlawful fishing. The discussion of the agreement was conducted under the auspices of the U.N. Food and Agriculture Organization, which now includes 15 countries.

Cell phone calls from Russian airliners and mobile Internet service aboard those planes will soon be commonly available in Russia. At the same time, the services are not likely to be of great popularity with the passengers at least initially – due to the high cost and the need to have special equipment.

Severstal NA will sell 4 metal service centers that it currently operates in the United States to Aurora Resurgence. The designated buyer is a privately-owned equity fund based in Los Angeles, California.

In the first quarter of 2010, Norilsk Nickel increased the output of its principal commodity, nickel, by 1 percent. Norilsk Nickel, which is the largest producer of the metal in the world, produced 70 thousand metric tons of nickel in the first three months of the year.

Research shows that the most expensive MBAs in Russia (EUR 38 000 and EUR 90 000 for an 18-month course) have no problems finding students. At medium-priced business schools a 5 percent dropout rate has been noted.