Kommersant
Encyclopedia
Kommersant is a commerce-oriented newspaper published in Russia
. , the circulation was 131,000.
seizure of power and the introduction of censorship in 1917.
In 1989, with the onset of press freedom in Russia, Kommersant was re-established under the ownership of businessman and publicist Vladimir Yakovlev.
To make the point that the publication had outlasted the Soviet regime, "Kommersant" is spelled in Russian with a terminal hard sign
(ъ) – a letter that is silent at the end of a word in modern Russian, and was thus abolished by the post-revolution Russian spelling reform
. This is played up in the Kommersant logo, which features a script hard sign at the end of somewhat more formal font.
In 1997, autos-to-Aeroflot mogul Boris Berezovsky – a member of the former President Boris Yeltsin's 'family' – bought the Kommersant publishing house, which included Kommersant-daily, two serious weekly magazines (the political Kommersant-vlast (literally 'Power') and the financial Kommersant-dengi ('Money') – as well as entertainment magazines Domovoi and Avtopilot and Molotok, a teen magazine, which later incurred the authorities' wrath.
Berezovsky sacked Kommersant's director-general, Andrei Vassiliev, and editor-in-chief, Alexander Stukalin, on 14 July 2005 in a move widely seen as preparation for the 2008 Russian presidential elections
.
In January 2005, Kommersant published blank pages as a protest at a court ruling ordering it to publish a denial of a story about a crisis at Alfa Bank
. The sole article in the paper was this one, published upside down, on the front page. The headline of the article was "Full Plaintiff" (полный истец) which has little meaning, but rhymes with a Russian swear word
, meaning "complete disaster" (полный пиздец). The English version of the article was headed "Alfa-d Up".
Berezovsky sold the Kommersant publishing house to an old friend and business partner, Georgian fruit canner and opposition television station owner Badri Patarkatsishvili
, who was already chairman of the Kommersant company's board. In August 2006, Patarkatsishvili
sold his 100% stake in the Kommersant publishing house to Alisher Usmanov
, head of Gazprom's Gazprominvestholding subsidiary.
After clashing with Usmanov, Kommersant editor-in-chief Vladislav Borodulin quit. "[Borodulin’s] decision to resign wasn't forced, but evidently they expressed different views on how the publishing house should be developed," said the group's commercial director. Andrei Vasilyev, appointed for a second stint at the helm of the daily – after a long run from 1999 to 2005– said Kommersant-daily had no intention of following any imposed policy, and added that the edition would carry articles that might not please the owner.
no new articles have been added to the English version of the website. Since February 2009 Kommersant newspaper is printed and distributed in the United Kingdom.
and ordered to pay compensation of US$3,000,000.
In May 2009, a Russian MP and prominent businessman Oleg Mikheyev sued the Kommersant for $217 million, claiming that one of the newspaper's articles "spoiled of his bank so badly it had to be sold at disadvantageous price".
But judicial proceeding was cancelled by the court because of wrong jurisdiction.
Russia
Russia or , officially known as both Russia and the Russian Federation , is a country in northern Eurasia. It is a federal semi-presidential republic, comprising 83 federal subjects...
. , the circulation was 131,000.
History
The newspaper was initially published in 1909, and it was closed down following the BolshevikBolshevik
The Bolsheviks, originally also Bolshevists , derived from bol'shinstvo, "majority") were a faction of the Marxist Russian Social Democratic Labour Party which split apart from the Menshevik faction at the Second Party Congress in 1903....
seizure of power and the introduction of censorship in 1917.
In 1989, with the onset of press freedom in Russia, Kommersant was re-established under the ownership of businessman and publicist Vladimir Yakovlev.
To make the point that the publication had outlasted the Soviet regime, "Kommersant" is spelled in Russian with a terminal hard sign
Yer
The letter yer of the Cyrillic alphabet, also spelled jer or er, is known as the hard sign in the modern Russian and Rusyn alphabets and as er golyam in the Bulgarian alphabet...
(ъ) – a letter that is silent at the end of a word in modern Russian, and was thus abolished by the post-revolution Russian spelling reform
Reforms of Russian orthography
The reform of Russian orthography refers to changes made to the Russian alphabet over the course of the history of the Russian language.- Early Changes :...
. This is played up in the Kommersant logo, which features a script hard sign at the end of somewhat more formal font.
In 1997, autos-to-Aeroflot mogul Boris Berezovsky – a member of the former President Boris Yeltsin's 'family' – bought the Kommersant publishing house, which included Kommersant-daily, two serious weekly magazines (the political Kommersant-vlast (literally 'Power') and the financial Kommersant-dengi ('Money') – as well as entertainment magazines Domovoi and Avtopilot and Molotok, a teen magazine, which later incurred the authorities' wrath.
Berezovsky sacked Kommersant's director-general, Andrei Vassiliev, and editor-in-chief, Alexander Stukalin, on 14 July 2005 in a move widely seen as preparation for the 2008 Russian presidential elections
Russian presidential election, 2008
The Russian Presidential election of 2008, held on March 2, 2008 resulted in the election of Dmitry Medvedev as the third President of Russia. Medvedev, whose candidacy was supported by incumbent president Vladimir Putin and five political parties , received 71% of the vote, and defeated...
.
In January 2005, Kommersant published blank pages as a protest at a court ruling ordering it to publish a denial of a story about a crisis at Alfa Bank
Alfa Bank
Alfa Bank, the corporate treasury of the Alfa Group, is the largest private commercial bank in Russia. Headquartered in Moscow, it operates in 7 countries, providing financial services to over 40,000 active corporate customers and 5.3 million retail clients...
. The sole article in the paper was this one, published upside down, on the front page. The headline of the article was "Full Plaintiff" (полный истец) which has little meaning, but rhymes with a Russian swear word
Russian mat
Mat is the term for strong obscene profanity in Russian and some other Slavic language communities.Use of mat is censored in the media and use of mat in public constitutes a form of disorderly conduct, punishable under article 20.1.1 of the Offences Code of Russia, although it is only enforced...
, meaning "complete disaster" (полный пиздец). The English version of the article was headed "Alfa-d Up".
Berezovsky sold the Kommersant publishing house to an old friend and business partner, Georgian fruit canner and opposition television station owner Badri Patarkatsishvili
Badri Patarkatsishvili
Arkady "Badri" Patarkatsishvili was a wealthy Georgian businessman, who was also extensively involved in politics. He contested the 2008 Georgian presidential election and came third with 7.1% of the votes...
, who was already chairman of the Kommersant company's board. In August 2006, Patarkatsishvili
Badri Patarkatsishvili
Arkady "Badri" Patarkatsishvili was a wealthy Georgian businessman, who was also extensively involved in politics. He contested the 2008 Georgian presidential election and came third with 7.1% of the votes...
sold his 100% stake in the Kommersant publishing house to Alisher Usmanov
Alisher Usmanov
Alisher Burkhanovich Usmanov is an Uzbek-born Russian businessman.According to the 2011 edition of Forbes magazine, the oligarch is one of Russia's richest men, with a fortune estimated at US$17.7 billion, and the world's 35th richest person.Usmanov is married and is a graduate of Moscow State...
, head of Gazprom's Gazprominvestholding subsidiary.
After clashing with Usmanov, Kommersant editor-in-chief Vladislav Borodulin quit. "[Borodulin’s] decision to resign wasn't forced, but evidently they expressed different views on how the publishing house should be developed," said the group's commercial director. Andrei Vasilyev, appointed for a second stint at the helm of the daily – after a long run from 1999 to 2005– said Kommersant-daily had no intention of following any imposed policy, and added that the edition would carry articles that might not please the owner.
no new articles have been added to the English version of the website. Since February 2009 Kommersant newspaper is printed and distributed in the United Kingdom.
Court cases
In January 2000, Kommersant was found guilty of libel against Russian entrepreneur Alex KonanykhinAlex Konanykhin
Alex Konanykhin is a Russian entrepreneur, former banker, former oligarch and past member of Russian President Boris Yeltsin’s inner circle....
and ordered to pay compensation of US$3,000,000.
In May 2009, a Russian MP and prominent businessman Oleg Mikheyev sued the Kommersant for $217 million, claiming that one of the newspaper's articles "spoiled of his bank so badly it had to be sold at disadvantageous price".
But judicial proceeding was cancelled by the court because of wrong jurisdiction.