Russian Railways mulling purchase of leading business daily

LONDON, April 24 (RIA Novosti) - The head of Russian Railways said Monday that the national railroads monopolist may buy leading business daily and publishing house Kommersant.

"The issue is one of price," Vladimir Yakunin said. "Business is business, why not?"

He added that the newspaper could be purchased by a Russian Railways subsidiary, rather than the parent company.

Respected business daily Vedomosti last week said Russian Railways would buy Kommersant, but Sergei Mikhailov of the monopolist's board of directors said there had been no talks about a possible deal.

Media sources said the approximate cost of the deal would be about $350-400 million.

Earlier in April, energy giant Gazprom played down speculation it was on the verge of purchasing the paper from its current owner, Badri Patarkacishvili. In February, Patarkacishvili bought the paper from his friend and business partner, self-exiled former oligarch Boris Berezovsky.