Russia 110328 Basic Political Developments

Interior troops serviceman killed in attack in Dagestan

http://www.interfax.com/newsinf.asp?id=231877
ROSTOV-ON-DON. March 28 (Interfax) - A contract serviceman of the Interior Troops has been killed in his home in the Kizlyar district of Dagestan, a district police spokesman told Interfax.

"Two unidentified men entered the courtyard of the house, where the serviceman lived with his family at about 1 a.m. on Monday. They asked him out of the house and opend rifle and pistol fire at him, killing him on the spot," he said.

Investigators found about 30 used cartridges from a Kalashnikov rifle at the scene. The killing was on the eve of the 200th anniversary of Russia's Interior Troops. An operation is on to hunt down the assailants.

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Contract serviceman killed in Dagestan

http://www.itar-tass.com/eng/level2.html?NewsID=16093521&PageNum=0

28.03.2011, 09.09

MAKHACHKALA, March 28 (Itar-Tass) -- A contract serviceman of the Interior Troops of the Russian Interior Ministry was killed in Dagestan’s Kizlyar region.

According to the information of the Interior Ministry, “unidentified people shot a serviceman in the yard of his own house at about 23.45 Moscow time on Sunday. He died from bullet wounds on the spot.”

Thirty cartridge-cases of 7.62 mm calibre and nine cartridge-cases of 9 mm calibre were found at the site of the incident. According to the preliminary information, two criminals were involved in the attack. A search for them is being held. Criminal proceedings were instituted.

Police boost Moscow subway security ahead of bombing anniversary

http://en.rian.ru/russia/20110328/163242328.html

11:02 28/03/2011

Security has been stepped up on the Moscow rapid transit system ahead of the anniversary of the March 29, 2010, twin suicide bombings in which 40 people died.

A police spokesman said there has been increased police and security presence on the subway.

Police have been warned of a possible terror attack by two Islamist female suicide bombers on Tuesday and have their Photofits.

Chechen warlord Doku Umarov claimed responsibility for the suicide bombings on two Moscow subway stations on March 29 last year. He is also said to have ordered a deadly bomb attack on Moscow's Domodedovo International Airport in January of this year that claimed 37 lives.

MOSCOW, March 28 (RIA Novosti)
Vladimir Churov re-elected as CEC chairman

http://www.itar-tass.com/eng/level2.html?NewsID=16093648

28.03.2011, 11.32

MOSCOW, March 28 (Itar-Tass) - Vladimir Churov, 58, has again been elected Chairman of the Russian Central Election Commission (CEC). A total of 14 of 15 members of the commission voted for him and one CEC member - against, CEC member Nina Kulyasova said.

Churov will occupy this post for a second term. He was for the first time elected CEC chairman on March 27, 2007. Then he got the support of 13 of 15 commission members. This time the term of CEC mandate has been extended from four to five years.

Moscow disctrict court secretary resigns

http://www.itar-tass.com/eng/level2.html?NewsID=16093534&PageNum=0

28.03.2011, 10.56

MOSCOW, March 28 (Itar-Tass) - Press secretary of Moscow's Khamovniki court Natalia Vasilyeva, who claimed pressure on a judge during the trial of the Yukos case, tended her resignation on Monday, which was accepted, chairman of the human rights organization AGORA Pavel Chikov told Itar-Tass.

AGORA represents Vasilyeva's interests.

"After a holiday, she wished to see the attitude toward her of the court's personnel, but she realized she would not be able to work with these people after her statement," Chikov said.

Russia's labor legislation provides for not working another two weeks after resignation, but sever labor relations upon the parties' consent on the day of writing the resignation statement.

In mid-February, Vasilyeva told a number of media outlets about violations during the trial of Khodorkovsky and Lebedev. She told them about the pressure on the court and that the verdict had been composed at the Moscow City Court and that the Khamovniki court's judge had never written it.

Danilkin said he had drawn the verdict personnel while adhering to all the norms of the law.

The Moscow City Court called Vasilyeva's statement "provocation."

The new Khamovniki court press secretary Milentina Kapustkina confirmed that Vasilyeva had resigned.

"Since Viktor Danilkin is on holiday, Vasilyeva handed in her voluntary resignation statement to his deputy; it was considered and granted," Kapustkina said.

Danilkin earlier said he would not seek criminal prosecution of Vasilyeva, although he believed that her statements were slanderous.

"I will not be seeking her criminal prosecution. She accused me of the commission of a serious crime, but before completion of the check into the legitimacy of the verdict I handed down, no measures against Vasilyeva will be taken," he told Tass.

He also denied any plans to fire Vasilyeva.

"I think she will find it hard to work in the collective after her statement; but her dismissal is not on the agenda. She may quit on her own or continue working," the judge said then.

On December 30, 2010, Moscow’s Khamovniki district court sentenced former YUKOS CEO Mikhail Khodorkovsky and his business partner, head of the Menatep company Platon Lebedev, to 13.5 years in jail within the second criminal case, finding them guilty of oil theft and money laundering. The next day, their lawyers appealed the verdict.

In May 2005, Moscow's Meshchansky district court found Khodorkovsky and Lebedev guilty under several counts, including fraud and tax evasion and sentenced them to nine years in prison.

Later the Moscow City Court reduced the term to eight years.

The new sentence extends the jail term for Khodorkovsky and Lebedev until 2017.