Moscow’s wage gaps leave West behind

THE MOSCOW TIMES ⁵

Bosses in large Moscow companies earn 65 times the income their lowest-paid employees do, a report released by Adecco Group Russia has revealed, a gap the researchers said was nearly double that found in similar European and American companies.

The Moscow wage gap was not only notable in comparison to other European companies, but also to other Russian cities. The difference with St. Petersburg and with Yekaterinburg was also considerable – with the former the gap was 30 times, while with Yekaterinburg it was only 17 times. Executives’ pay packets also differ significantly between the surveyed cities

The lowest monthly wages earned in the large firms surveyed in the three cities varied little —16,000 rubles in Moscow and St. Petersburg, and 13,000 rubles in Yekaterinburg. On the other hand, general directors’ wages varied greatly, with Moscow’s top dogs earning more than 1 million rubles a month, St. Petersburg’s receiving 500,000 rubles and Yekaterinburg’s top managers taking home 250,000 rubles.

Behind За, сзади
Considerable Значительный
Differ Отличаться
Difference Разница
Double В два раза больший
Earn Зарабатывать
Employee (employer) Наемный работник
Executive Руководитель, должност. лицо
Find (found, found) Находить, обнаруживать
Gap Разрыв, интервал
Greatly Значительно
In comparison В сравнении с…
Income Доход, заработок
Leave (left, left) Оставлять, покидать
Lowest-paid Низкооплачиваемый
Notable Заметный, значительный
On the other hand С другой стороны
Pay packet Зарплата, жалование
Receive Получать
Release Публиковать
Researcher Исследователь, ученый
Reveal Открывать, разоблачать
Significantly Значительно
Similar Подобный, похожий
Survey Опрос
Wage Заработная плата

Russian Prisoner Escapes in Hijacked Chopper

THE MOSCOW TIMES ⁶

A murderer escaped from a Russian penal colony aboard a hijacked helicopter but was captured a few hours later. Law enforcement officials say the drama began Thursday morning when two people commandeered the helicopter owned by a private company and ordered its crew to fly to the high security prison in Sheksna near Vologda, 300 kilometers north of Moscow. Interior Ministry spokesman Valery Gribakin said the helicopter had been rented by an associate of prisoner, Alexei Shestakov, RIA-Novosti reported.

«It has been established that in March the convict called this person and asked him to organize a top delegation helicopter visit. He did not understand exactly what was meant but went ahead and rented the helicopter,» Gribakin said. «At the scheduled time today, the helicopter’s crew landed it at the designated place, taking on board a man and a woman. After the aircraft took off, they drew guns and forced the pilot to hover above the penal colony and throw out a rope. The convict used the rope to climb onboard,» he said. The craft flew away, then landed, and the prisoner and the hijackers scattered. Gribakin told Russian news agencies that Shestakov, who had served 12 years of a 24-year sentence, then hijacked a taxi, but it was stopped at a police roadblock. Gribakin says the escaped convict was wounded while resisting arrest, but did not elaborate. The helicopter hijackers remain at large.

Associate Товарищ, партнер
At large На свободе
Capture Захватывать, ловить
Chopper (helicopter) Вертолет
Climb up (down) Взбираться, карабкаться
Commandeer Забирать силой, реквизировать
Convict Осужденный
Craft Самолет, вертолет, и.т.д.
Crew Экипаж, команда
Designated place Назначенное место
Draw (drew, drawn) Вытаскивать, вытягивать
Elaborate Конкретизировать
Escape Бежать (из заключения)
Establish Устанавливать
Exactly Точно
Fly (flew, flown) Летать
Force Заставлять силой
Hijack Совершать угон тр. средства
Hover Зависать в воздухе
Land Приземляться
Law enforcement official Работник правоохр. органов
Mean (meant, meant) Иметь в виду
Murderer Убийца
Own Владеть, иметь в собственности
Penal colony Штрафная колония
Prisoner Заключенный
Remain Оставаться
Resist Сопротивляться
Rope Веревка
Scatter Рассеиваться, разбегаться
Scheduled time Запланированное время
Take off (took, taken) Взлетать
Throw (threw, thrown) Бросать
Top delegation Высокопоставленная делегация
Wound Ранить

Rogozin Says Population Goal Should Be 500 Million

THE MOSCOW TIMES ⁷

Federal authorities have for years been pushing measures to encourage population growth, in an attempt to reverse the country’s demographic downturn. But Deputy Prime Minister Dmitry Rogozin set the bar a whole lot higher Thursday, saying the country’s goal should be a population of 500 million – more than triple its current size. «140 million people – that’s [too] little. The solution is either to complain that we have those Chinese people, or not to point to our neighbor but to have children. Without children Russia will not have a population of 500 million, which we absolutely need,» Rogozin said in a speech to university students in Novosibirsk, RIA-Novosti reported. Rogozin called for measures that authorities have advocated before, including cash incentives to promote large families and assistance to families in securing housing. He also suggested creating new population centers across the country, including one that would help to develop eastern Russia.

«Incentives need to be created for developing the eastern part of the country. First, we have all the necessary resources for this, and secondly, the human ’gulf stream’ washing people away from these regions needs to be stopped,» Rogozin said.

Advocate Поддерживать, защищать
Attempt Попытка
Call for Требовать
Cash incentive Денежный стимул
Complain Жаловаться
Create Создавать
Current Текущий, данный
Develop Развивать
Downturn Спад, уменьшение
Either… or Или… или
Encourage Поощрять, поддерживать
Goal Задача, цель
Growth Рост, развитие
Measure Мера
Necessary Необходимый
Neighbor Сосед
Point Указывать, показывать
Population Население
Push – pull Толкать – тянуть
Reverse Поворачивать в прот. направлении
Size Размер
Solution Решение
Stream Поток, течение
Suggest Предлагать, советовать
Triple Тройной
Whole Целый, полный

Presidential aide’s car caught using bus lane

THE MOSCOW TIMES ⁸

The shiny BMW of Presidential Aide Arkady Dvorkovich has been caught misbehaving on the roads which led to a collision with a Mercedes in Moscow.

The one of the most prominent figures in President Dmitry Medvedev’s staff admitted his car was driving along a bus lane and is ready to pay the fine. «After the road accident a ticket was issued for a traffic rules violation, which is to be paid,» Dvorkovich wrote in his Twitter. Dvorkovich came out of the accident safe and sound, as well as passengers in the Mercedes, Gazeta.ru reported. The only the two cars suffered in the accident.

Moscow’s road police said the accident happened on Wednesday morning, at 8:45 am on Pyatnitskoye Shosse when Dvorkovich’s vehicle was heading towards the city center with its flashing lights engaged.

«The Mercedes, which was moving in the same direction, was trying to turn left and hit the car,» Gazeta.ru quoted road police’s spokesman as saying. Dvorkovich, however, said nothing about who is going to pay the fine – he himself or his driver. A representative of the Presidential Administration told Gazeta.ru that all penalties are to be paid by the people behind the wheel.

Admit Соглашаться, признавать вину
Aide Помощник
Bus lane Полоса для автобусов
Catch (caught, caught) Ловить, поймать
Collision Столкновение
Direction Направление
Happen Случаться, происходить
However Однако
Issue (v) Выдавать
Misbehave Плохо себя вести
Pay (paid, paid) Платить
Penalty Наказание
Prominent Заметный, видный
Representative Представитель
Staff Штат, персонал
Suffer Страдать
Ticket Квитанция со штрафом
Vehicle Транспортное средство
Wheel (steering wheel) Рулевое колесо
Write (wrote, written) Писать

Krymsk officials arrested over deadly flooding

THE MOSCOW TIMES ⁹

Three senior officials in southern Russia’s Krymsk district have been arrested in a probe into the mishandling of a flood that killed 171 people earlier this month, the Investigative Committee said on Sunday.

The three arrested were Krymsk Mayor Vladimir Ulyanovsky, the former head of the district Vasily Krutko, who resigned after the flood, and acting head of the public department for the prevention of emergency situations, Viktor Zhanov. Ulanovsky was admitted to hospital shortly after his arrest, Interfax reported on Sunday without mentioning why.

The worst flooding in the region in decades was caused by heavy rainfall on the night of July 6—7. Investigators said the suspects failed to deliver a timely warning and evacuate people from the area. The total death toll in the Krymsk district was 153 people, according to the Committee’s statement. The maximal penalty the suspects face if charges are brought against them is seven years of prison with possible deprivation of the right to hold specific posts.

The fourth suspect, Irina Ryabchenko, head of the Nizhnebakinskaya settlement, which was also affected by the disaster, narrowly escaped arrest. Unlike the others she seems to be the only one who enjoys sympathy from locals. «She was affected by the flooding herself, local residents say.