Dmitriy Medvedev hailed the continuously strengthening cooperation between Russia and the United States when meeting with the visiting U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton outside Moscow on October 13, 2009. Secretary Clinton said at the Moscow meeting that the United States is looking forward to expanding its strategic ties with Russia.

Russia’s Commander-in-Chief President Medvedev praised the move of Obama’s administration to cancel the plans for installing missile defenses in Poland and the Czech Republic. Dmitriy Medvedev noted that the decision of the U.S. President was by all measures “courageous.”

During his mid-September visit to Yaroslavl, Russia’s President Dmitriy Medvedev laid out his framework for the development of the country. The Russian President also talked about the paramount significance of open political debate.

Russian politicians offer comments on the first anniversary of military operations in South Ossetia and Abkhazia, balancing the positive and the negative factors that have become more clearly discernible with the passage of time.

The energy sector strategy is based on estimates that Russia’s oil production will reach 530 to 535 million tons by the year 2030. The production of gas is expected to be from 880 to 940 billion cubic meters. Electricity generation is anticipated to reach 1.8 to 2.2 trillion kilowatt hours.

Shell intends to commence the production of lubricants and motor oil at a plant in the town of Torzhok, Tver region. The plant’s director Inna Lobanova confirmed that production is planned to start at the end of 2010.

For the 2008 fiscal year Alrosa, the largest Russian diamond producer,  reported a loss of more than RUR 32.5 billion. The shortfall is blamed on the international economic crisis and the devaluation of the Russian currency. The company’s profit for the year stood at RUR 16 billion.

Polyus Gold (Open Joint Stock Company, OJSC) is the leading gold producer in Russia and Kazakhstan and the only Russian company among the world’s largest gold producers. In late August, the biggest producer of gold in Russia Polyus Gold completed the acquisition of Kazakhstan’s KazakhGold company.

The Secretary of Russia’s Security Council Nikolay Patrushev noted that the countries of U.S., Norway, Denmark, and Canada are mounting a coordinated effort to block Russia’s exploration of the Arctic shelf.

Oil and gas projects in Sakhalin are expected to produce over 24 million tons of oil and 61 billion cubic meters of gas by the year 2020, according to the Governor of Khabarovsk region Alexander Khoroshavin.

In the foreseeable future, Russia may come to dominate in the nuclear power engineering market in the world, taking more than 25 percent of the market. Russian President Dmitriy Medvedev commented that he fully appreciates these prospects.   

Three modernized passenger airplanes Tu-204SM will be produced in Russia in 2010, according to deputy director of the United Aircraft Company Sergei Gaplerin. Mr. Gaplerin also serves as the deputy general designer of the Tupolev bureau.

According to the Minister of Industry and Trade Viktor Khristenko, the Russian government allocated close to RUR 80 billion for investing in the aviation industry in the current year. Anti-crisis measures taken by Russian authorities have contributed to the growth in levels of investment.

Nuclear-powered submarine Severodvinsk will be the first among the seven vessels constructed within the framework of Project Yasen. The submarine will be placed into service a year earlier than initially expected - not in 2011, but in 2010.   

Russian expert have finalized the building of a spaceport in South Korea in July. The launch pad in Latin America is expected to be completed in October, according to the director of the Russian Federal Space Agency Roscosmos Anatoly Perminov.

The largest oil pipeline company in Russia Transneft made a decision to offer for sale a 10-year bond valued at RUR 65 billion. The bond was offered to 14 banks. The bond was released for sale in September based on the decision of Transneft’s boards of directors.

VEB’s board voted to affirm the issuance of a USD 545 million loan to Rosneftebunker for exploring and developing the Ust-Luga venture. The loan will mature in 8 years, according to the chief executive officer of VEB Mr. Vladimir Dmitriyev.

Workers at the Ashalchinskoye bitumen field in Almatyevsky region of Tatarstan are now using advanced heavy oil rigs for recovering hydrocarbons. The Ashalchinskoye field belongs to Russia’s oil company Tatneft. 

In accordance with Offshore Vigilant’s contract with Gazprom in Venezuela, Gazprom informed Scorpion that the 550 hours the company spent working on the well in May 2009 have been lost as a consequence of a “fishing job.” The payment of USD 3.8 million for the work rendered is now in dispute.

On August 21, 2009, the Vankor oilfield located in the Krasnoyarsk territory officially entered production. Prime Minister of Russia Vladimir Putin took part in the ceremony celebrating the oilfield’s launch.

Gunvor, the global fuel trader based in Switzerland, entered into a contract to purchase 30 percent of the Lagansky oil and gas block in the Caspian Sea. The company bought the block from Lundin Petroleum. Before the purchase, Lundin controlled 100 percent of the project.   

The Federal Court of Arbitrazh for the Moscow District refused to reconsider the complaint for RUR 1.318 billion that was filed by Energotrade against oil major Rosneft. Energotrade is a little-known energy trader.

The company’s bottom-line profit fell to approximately RUR 609.7 million. Last year, profits for the first half of the year were RUR 708.7 million. Profit from sales decreased from RUR 270.7 million to RUR 191.9 million. Profits before taxes dropped significantly to RUR 38.3 million from RUR 177.4 million.

The largest Russian oil company Rosneft has completed the buyout of 847 954 shares of stock from minority owners of the company. The company paid out more than RUR 133 million to facilitate the buyout.

Production at Russia’s gold mines was up in the first half of the year by 27 percent on year-on-year basis, according the Union of Gold Producers. The total quantity of gold mined in the first six months of 2009 was 66.94 tons.

Multiregional TransitTelecom, a provider of long-distance telephone services, began its venture into the high-speed internet market when it launched commercial broadband operations in the city of Yaroslavl early in September of 2009. 

Officials of the Russian Federal Customs Service have discovered the operations of an organized group that was bringing luxury yachts from Italy and England without paying import tariffs. The smuggling business was active from 2007 to 2009.

Dmitriy Medvedev said that he may decide to seek reelection in 2012. “Provided that I work well and am successful in everything, why should I not run? If I have the trust and support of the Russian people, this decision would be absolutely normal,” said the incumbent President of Russia.

Arkady Dvorkovich, a top aide to President Dmitriy Medvedev, stated that the rise in the price of oil to nearly USD 60 a barrel will result in greater revenues for the state budget. Extra income could be as high as RUR 500 billion in the current year.