POLITICS

A new ministry authorized to regulate the fishing industry, as well as the forestry and hunting industries, may be established in Russia.

(Kommersant)

President Vladimir Putin is tightening control of Russia’s regions: he has allowed ministers request that governors be dismissed.

(Vedomosti)

ECONOMY & BUSINESS

Capital outflow from Russia in 2012 was $56.8 billion, according to an assessment by the country’s Central Bank.

(Kommersant)

The federal government plans to spend about 270 billion rubles ($8.9 billion) on transportation infrastructure in Moscow and the surrounding region over the next three years, Transportation Minister Maxim Sokolov said.

(The Moscow Times)

SCIENCE

Russian Federal Space Agency Roscosmos has published the country’s state space program until 2020. It focuses on the deployment and maintenance of orbital groups, increasing the number of civil and double-purpose satellites, as well as increasing the share of rocket and space products on the global market to 16 percent by 2020.

(Kommersant)

DEFENSE

Russian shipbuilders build more vessels under defense orders, which brought shipyards nearly 70 percent of revenues, or over 90 billion rubles ($3 billion), in 2012.

(Kommersant)

SOCIETY

Thousands of people thronged central Moscow on Sunday in a march protesting a ban on U.S. adoptions of Russian orphans. The march represented the most prominent expression of public anger thus far against the heavily criticized measure, which took effect January 1.

(The Moscow Times, Kommersant)

Businessmen in the central Russian Kostroma Region paid out of their own pocket to repair a broken bridge in the town of Sharya. Town authorities said there was no money for the project in the budget.

(Moskovskiye Novosti)

Actor and newly minted Russian citizen Gerard Depardieu belittled the country's opposition as disoriented and attacked foreign critics of the prosecution of the punk band Pussy Riot.

(The Moscow Times)

The parliament of St. Petersburg will this week consider gubernatorial amendments to the law on rallies that toughens rules regulating the holding of public events. No requests from the public have been taken into account.

(Vedomosti)

Former Defense Minister Anatoly Serdyukov, who at an inquiry Friday into allegedly illicit property sales gave investigators "a few sheets of paper with explanations" then refused further questions, faces being considered a suspect, the Investigative Committee said.

(The Moscow Times)

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